Morphine - The Changeling's quest
by Ocelot9
Summary: Free for the first time in her life the young Changeling Mora sets out into the world of Runterra in hopes of finding her own path in life instead of the one that she had been designed for, this journey takes her to the Institute of War where she hopes to use her powers of copying others to find herself, a somewhat confusing objective but that won't stop her from trying.
1. 1 Out of the Labyrinth

**Morphine - The Changeling's quest**

 **Chapter 1: Out of the Labyrinth**

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 **Quick note before we start; this Fic was mostly made as a side thought as a way to clear my head to try and get some ideas for my RWBY fic but then i ended up with about five chapters in the span of a day so given how weirdly easy these are to write so far I might focus on this story if enough people read it; if you like it or have some ideas on how to improve it please let me now but for now; enjoy.**

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When my father promised me he'd make it possible for me to see everything the world has to offer I was ecstatic, but now I almost wish he had kept me locked away in that small room like he did for years before because if this is what the world has to offer I'd rather not continue to see it; the dark tunnels seem to stretch on forever and no matter how far I walk I never seem any closer to finding the way out, the rank air and congealed gobs of substances I don't even want to speculate are comprised of making this place all the more abhorrent to my senses… to think some rodents actually attempt to live down here makes me question the survival instinct of the creatures, before I can continue to analyze the potential circumstances that would make them stay another draft whips throughout the channel forcing me to stop in my tracks, the cold had been tolerable for the first while but the further I venture the more frequent these gust become making me think that I draw near to the exit but so far my progress has yet to yield a way out.

Another draft of wind hits me and I nearly drop to my knees in hopes of warming myself, but I know if I lye down there is a good chance I wouldn't get up ever again, I shudder from the chill but push forward and cross my arm over my chest and rub my bicep to warm it up, I can only do this too my right arm though as its holding the last gift my father ever gave me; it was an attache case made from some sort of metal I don't recognize with a small round crystal in the center, I don't know of its contents but father told me to open it if I'm ever in danger and it would become… I pause for a moment as I try to recall his words but all the sounds and sights of those moments blend together and I can't remember…

*Plink*

I freeze, that was the sound of a glass bottle tapping against a solid surface; a sound that shouldn't be heard in a desolate sewer with no nearby surface access like this.

"Darnit, I really need to get a stronger belt; the last thing I need is for my delightful venom to get spilled."

I move into the nearest nook I can find as the source of the voice draws closer, I curl up as small as I can and keep my gift behind me in hopes that the lack of light will help conceal me; I don't want to know who, or what is the origin of that awful scratchy voice. I pull myself as close to the wall as possible as I hear an unsteady click of the being's feet move down the tunnel; for a brief moment I see a silhouette of the voice and learn that whatever it is, it certainly isn't human. A few more steps and the creature passes my hiding spot and continues moving in the direction I had come from, as its footsteps fade into the distance I realize how long I had been holding my breath and before I can stop myself I gasp for air, I cover my mouth with my hand and hope that the beast didn't hear me but as I listen for its steps I hear nothing, after a moment I stand up and try to continue walking quietly, silently praying to the star-child I was unheard, though as I move I can't help but notice the stench has only grown stronger…

"Oh, hello! Huhahahahaa!"

I fall back on myself and hit the cold floor as the monster suddenly appears before me from out of the putrid air, its disgusting long muzzle inches from my face; now that I could see it in the diluted light I could see how repulsive it truly was as it bore disturbing resemblance to the gutter rats from home; I tried to crawl backwards away from the beats while blindly groping the ground around me for my gift, as I manage to get a few feet back and find my gift I stand as the creature continues to stare at me; apparently amused by my fear.

"Now what's a smelly little morsel like you doing on my territory then? Other than leaving a bad stench that is."

The beast continued to glare at me; and as it did I could see a protrusion on it's back; it looked like a weapon of some kind but I could only see the handle, it appeared to be some kind of fire-arm which meant that running from this abomination would be dangerous so I tried seeing if I could talk my way out of the situation; surely if the beast was capable of speech it could also be capable of mercy.

"I… I'm sorry mister... uhh… mister?"

"Call me Twitch; its what all the ladies call me."

The thought of these creature anywhere near a woman made me feel sorry for the visual and nasal trauma they would feel in this things presence, but I tired to be respectful with my approach;

"Mister Twitch, I deeply apologize for trespassing in your home but I am lost and simply trying to find my way out."

As the word lost is made audible Twitch's face draws into what I believe is supposed to be a smile, maybe the creature wants to help me.

"So your lost huh? And when something is lost down here that means no one wants it, and if no one wants it then that means…"

Twitch begins to reach for the device on his back and reveals it to be a crossbow, he then proceeds to level it with my chest…

"That your mine!"

Twitch begins to cackle maniacally in his sickening high pitched voice and the noise echoes through the tunnels giving the illusion that there are hundreds of him surrounding me in the dark… I need to get away now but if I try to run past him he can shoot me, but if I turn back around the last bend and run I'll be trapped to run back home… I can't go around him or over him so I guess I have to go… through.

I take my gift and hold it in front of me like a shield and run a Twitch which catches him off guard as I ram into his chest and manage to knock onto his back, for a five foot tall rat he wasn't terribly heavy; after knocking him over I continue to run as fast as I can away from him trying to put as much distance between the two of us as possible, as I run I see a bend coming close and run around it just as a soft ' _thunk'_ hits the wall just behind me meaning Twitch has gotten back up and is probably perusing me. I continue to run dodging left and right in hopes of making it harder for him to hit me, a few bolt s fly wide past me while I run.

"Stand still! My eyes are on the side of my head!"

The beast shouts as he continues to miss, it seems he can't aim and run much to my delight as this mean I should have an easier time escaping than I thought; so long as I avoid any dead ends but I wasn't worried by that as father once told me the old sewer tunnels were a series of twists and turns but still on long tunnel that ended at the ocean, as I mull over a moment what the ocean would look like I notice that there hasn't been a crossbow bolt or angry comment from Twitch for a few moments; I consider looking back but don't stop running and frankly I'm glad I didn't stop as just as I turn my head I see Twitch appear from the shadows much closer behind me than previously,

"It's me! Hahahahaa!"

Now he was only about six feet behind me but instead of trying to fire more bolts at me he instead takes a cask from his coat and hurls it towards me;

"I'm gonna want that back!"

The cask hits the floor inches from my ankles and a green ooze splashes across the ground nearly hitting me, it bubbles and churns like some sort of acid and reeks almost as bad as Twitch himself but it don't let it distract me and I continue to push onward, knowing Twitch is closer behind than before, as we run he tries throwing another bottle; this time it lands ahead of me and covers most of the floor leaving me very few options, as I quickly draw closer to the puddle of sludge my mind races trying to think of a way around it or at least a way to buy me more time… Inspiration hits and just as I come within inches of the ooze I turn and hold my gift out like a shield once again and Twitches eyes widen in surprise as he slams snout first into my gift and falls on his back clutching his nose in pain, now that I had a moment I managed to sidle along the wall and avoid the puddle of bubbling filth, once past it I continue running noticing how the drafts I felt before were staring to feel more like a consistent breeze the further I go, logically this mean I should be very close to the exit and soon both these awful sewers and horrid rat will be long behind me.

"Hi!"

Once again Twitch had reappeared close behind me from the aether but thankfully further behind this time, I kept running as some more bolts hit the walls around me,

"Aim, then shoot. Aim, then shoot."

I can't even begin to fathom why Twitch would use a weapon that requires one to take time to be accurate since he seems to rely on speed, but what was that expression? _'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth'_ I think; Well I at least was certain I wouldn't look a mutant rat in the mouth. Another turn and at the end of the long tunnel I notice the lights that hardly illuminated this tunnel seem to end in about another fifty feet and drop into darkness… this could mean two things; one is that the lights blew a fuse and broke the chain and I'm going to have to try and escape this rat in the pitch black abyss ahead, or: that's the end of the tunnel and its dark because outside its still night time, as thought Soraka herself decided to deliver hope a gust of salty wind caresses my face from directly ahead meaning I've found the metaphorical light at the end of the literal tunnel, I was filled with so much determina-

"AAAUGGH!"

I hit the ground face first as Twitch manages to drive a bolt through my shoulder.

"Hope that gets infected."

The bolt ran through my arm leaving a hole a bit larger than a pencil, it hurt like a burning needle and I could feel a thin layer of reside on the entrance wound which smells of Twitch; who was now closing in for the kill.

"I gotta say; for an ugly little welp like yourself you're not bad at staying alive; but I'm afraid that's over!"

More of his sickening laughter, I dare not turn toward him as I'd rather the last thing I see not be that wretched monstrosity, I'd rather see… my gift! I look ahead and see where my gift landed and crawl towards it; if there was ever a time I was in danger it would be right now, I throw open the case and within an instant the tunnel is filled with a brilliant blue light causing Twitch to scream, I suppose his eyes would be sensitive lining in the dark like this. Once the light fades I find a crossbow identical to Twitches lying in my gift, how this was possible I had no idea as the case was only about a foot and a half wide and six inches thick but there it was; a crossbow that matched the one wielded by the disgusting beast behind me, I decide now is the time to look a mutant rat in the mouth and I grab the crossbow and aim it straight at Twitch who was starting to recover from the burst of light, it takes him a moment to realise the situation and that I now have the advantage.

"Alright listen and listen good you disgusting amalgamation of filth; your going to scurry back down into those filthy tunnels you apparently call home and we're both going to pretend like this unfortunate little confrontation never happened; am I understood?"

Twitch glares at me clearly trying to think over his options but given that I have a crossbow aimed at his head and I'm only about two feet way meaning he wouldn't have much space to dodge he raises his hands in defeat;

"Alright; you win this one you little beast, but I better not see you down here ever again or the next bolt goes in your head."

Twitch backs away and leave around the bend at the far end of the tunnel and I hear his ragged toenails clip against the hard stone as he walks away, the sound gradually growing softer and softer until it was dead silent save for my breathing, I keep my eyes down the tunnel and crossbow aimed a while longer just to be certain but after a few more minutes I lower the weapon and stand up, I check my arm to see whether the hole had healed or not; sure enough there was no evidence of a wound save for a small patch of my skin being slightly paler that the rest of my body, that always happened after I healed up. Once I was sure that I wasn't in danger of being attacked by that vile beast I turned my attention back to my gift, upon inspecting it once more I noticed a lot of hardware and strange runic symbols inside the device and a slip of paper, it was a note from my father…

 _My dear sweet daughter, the fact that your reading this means that you have left this sordid place and begun your quest to find a real life for yourself, it also means that you have encountered someone or something that wanted to harm you and you retaliated by using the gift I have left you, it will allow you to call on the secrets of your enemies; their power will become your power and you can fight back with both your might and theirs, but remember my dear: all power comes with a cost._

 _Stay safe my child_

 _Your father loves you._

I fold the note and place it in my pocket and deposit the crossbow back into my gift where it dissipates into a flurry of blue sparks that gather inside the case which then re-seals itself, I feel a small tingle in the back of my mind as an image of the weapon is etched into my memory, I retrieve my gift and make my way into the darkness of the tunnels end, at first I couldn't find a way out as it was heavily grated what with it being meant for sewage but with after a bit of groping around in the dark I find an upward shaft with a ladder where I can see small peaks of light at the top, with one hand on the ladder and the other gripping the case I slowly start climbing up the ladder, I don't know just how long the climb was but it felt like an eternity as I slowly pulled myself up rung after rung into the black void of empty space that was this shaft, but eventually I reached the last rung and found a hatch that has small glimmers of light squeezing through the rust, I take a hold of that hatch and twist with all might but it doesn't spin as it remains plagued by rust after what looks like years of neglect; I try again this time using both hands, forcing me to balance the case on my chest whilst I try to open the hatch, and this time with some resistance it finally gives and I'm able to open the hatch, I pull myself out of the dark and onto the surface, for the first time I feel the cool, clean breeze of the world on my face, no longer choked out by the smog and chemicals lingering from so many companies and their experiments, and to smell the salty air of the sea… the sea; it was just like father described it and yet so much more, an endless body of water that stretches farther than anyone could see, just watching the gentle waves lap against the shore in a soothing rhythm was almost hypnotic; I might have stood their staring for hours had my attention not been drawn by something even more mesmerising: the sun rising in the dawn over the Guardian sea, words alone could never do justice in describing what seeing the sun rise over the ocean for the first time is like, all I could do was stand in awe and watch the sun as it climbed higher into the sky…

The sound of the gulls squawking over head woke me up from my sleep, I suppose I fell asleep some time after making it to the surface, I suppose it was inevitable after running for two days and then fighting a giant rat that fatigue would catch up to me, guessing by the position of the sun in the sky it appears to be about noon, I grab the case and begin making my way further up towards the North-West; apparently there was a small ferry that could take me across to Piltover; father said that would be a good place to start my journey, from the city of privilege to the city of progress… is this what they call poetic?


	2. 2 Sea-sick

**Quick thing I forgot to mention: this story takes place in a world where riot didn't remove the institute.**

 **Chapter 2: Sea sick**

I walk along the shore towards the small trade port where father said I could ride across to Piltover, trying to keep my sight set to the beach ahead of me as even at this distance from the city I imagine one could still see the towering buildings and clouds of smog; serving as a constant reminder of what I leave behind, but I had no intention to return; there was nothing left for me in Zaun.

Keeping my mind preoccupied proved a lot easier than I thought though as near everything I saw I was literally seeing for the first time; the little crabs as the scuttle across the sand, the glittering shells of all shapes and colours, just about everything was a brilliant spectacle to behold; unfortunately that only lasted for an hour or so as I neared the shipyard I was starting to notice the all-to obvious signs of civilization: the water runs with darker colours and miscellaneous bits of garbage dotted the beach though thankfully it wasn't half as bad as the sewers; I shudder for a moment as I recall every sordid detail of that wretched tunnel and the events that transpired inside it but I manage to push those thoughts aside as I begin to hear voices in the distance, likely those of the dock-workers or townsfolk.

"… and so I said 'No way Sona is faster than Janna; do you even watch these matches?' and he got all pissy like I just insulted his mum or some bunk like that."

"Ahh some choffers just don't know when to admit their favorite champ ain't perfect."

From what I can gather they were talking about some kind of sporting event and some of the players, I didn't pay much heed as it seems unimportant to my current objective of finding a ride across the inlet, I continued walking along the docks hoping to find a sign for the ferry or something along those lines but after walking for near twenty minutes I found myself at the end of the docks without a sign of any ferry. Frustrated I turn back and hope that I simply missed it upon my first passing but after scouring the ships once more I still have no idea where to find the boat, I decide to try asking some of the people in town about how I ca get across to Piltover * _Groaww*_ … and get something to eat while I'm at it; this leads me to a small pub named 'The salty shiv'… charming, once inside I'm greeted by the smell of alcohol and smoke form both the kitchen and the patrons; not quite intoxicating but still unpleasant but I suppose it was better than the sewer stench, I take a seat at the bar and look at the overhead menu to see if there was anything edible here when the waiter/bartender comes over to me:

"Welcome to the Salty Shiv how hungry are you?"

"Quite; I'd like to order the fishermen's platter with extra fries and a glass of milk please."

The bartender nods as he jots down my order then walks to the other end of the bar to get another customers order and I take a quick look around the establishment; despite my initial impression to this place it was actually well maintained with nice furnishings and nice decorum, the only real problem was some of the clientele being comprised of surly man guzzling down mugs of something called 'Graggy' if I'm reading the bottles right and smoking large cigars despite a few signs indicating they were in a non smoking section, I assumed the only reason the manager hasn't told then to snuff out their smokes or leave was because most of these men were ship-hands with biceps larger than my head, after one of the brute nearly notices me staring I try to look inconspicuous by grabbing a newspaper someone had left at the bar and reading it; an number of pages including the front page was missing leaving only the sport section and the entertainment portions of the paper, I skipped the sport section and delved into the entertainment pages to see if I could find anything of interest; after a few unexciting paragraphs talking about upcoming television programs and movie screenings something caught my eye: an advertisement for a concert being held in Piltover tomorrow featuring a band by the name of 'Pentakill', it was followed by a brief article talking about how the concert was to raise funds to repair the city's treasury and zoo which had both been damaged by some criminal apparently, it continued to speak about the members of the band who were mostly from the Shadow isle of all places; given their genre of death-metal I suppose it was fitting but what confused me was that the only member who wasn't an undead monstrosity was a beautiful woman with burning red hair named Sona… I wonder for a moment if this could be the same Sona the sailor from earlier mentioned but I figured it was just a coincidence as to my understanding athletes usually don't moonlight as musicians, whilst continuing to read the article hoping to see if there was any more information about Sona the waiter returned and set a plate of battered fish and fries and a glass of milk in front of me:

"Here you are miss, enjoy."

I thank him and begin chewing on some fries as I continue to read the paper in earnest as the more I read about the band the more intrigued I became; I had never actually heard any metal music before because father quote: "had to refined a taste to enjoy such loud ravings." He preferred listening to free-form jazz.

"Scuze me miss; but I can't help but notice you taking quite an interest in that Pentakill ad, you a fan?"

I'm caught off-guard by the bartender's statement as I was deeply focused on the paper but I try to keep my composer when I reply:

"No I'm not; this is the first time I've heard of them but I am interested in possibly seeing their concert."

"I suppose that means your looking for a quick way of getting across the bay then?"

I nod in reply and he continues:

"Well there aren't any boats that'll get you there tonight; apparently the Pilties have blockaded the bay because they got a tip about some smugglers setting up so they're keeping all ships out until further notice, but…"

The barkeeper quickly glances around the bar before drawing a bit closer to me and signaling me to lean in to hear better and I comply:

"While you can't take a boat there's nothin' that says you can't hitch a ride with a mermaid,"

I draw back and glare at the barkeep with disappointment; did he honestly expect me to believe something so preposterous? Everyone knows there is no such thing as mermaids.

"Now don't look at me like that I know it sounds nuts but I know this girl; she a… a damn what'd she say her race was called? Maryna or something like that?

I did know of an aquatic humanoid race know as the Marai; although they were reclusive apparently one surfaced and has been mingling with humans whilst she tries to find some kind of pearl, I had read about her some time ago though I can't remember her name…

"Wait are you speaking of the Marai; The aquatic humanoids that live out in the Guardian sea?"

"Yeah that's them! I know em' cause of Nami; she comes here all the time when she makes her way to Piltover from home."

"Why would a Marai need to go to Piltover?"

"Ah she knows a few folks up there, most of them are champs like her."

Before I can ask the bartender what he means by 'champs like her' we get distracted by the sound of an excited a crowd gathering outside, after a few minutes and some cheering form the people outside the door opens and reveals the cause of the commotion: a beautiful Marai with deep green scales covering most of her body up to her navel where it split to show her light yellow skin and also drew attention to a large piece of black jewelry that connected to a fin-like headpiece that bore a blue gem, thought the piece was quite the eye-catcher it hardly distracted from the Marai's delicate features and deep amber eyes, she moved gracefully floating atop a small pool of water that seemed to magically stay beneath her and flowed up to the bar right beside me giving me a chance to get an even closer look at her, I apparently get caught up in the excitement of seeing such an elusive and beautiful creature as the bartender taps me on he back of my head a few times:

"She asked yer name miss; its rude to keep a lady waiting."

"Oh, my deepest apologize, my name is Mora, it's a pleasure to meet you miss Nami." I hold out my hand to shake hers and I get to feel how soft they are, odd considering they are also covered with scales but given how little I actually know about the genetics of Marai I guess anything is possible.

After the awkward introductions were over Nami ordered a very large plate of fries and ate them while talking to the bartender, I wasn't to attentive of the conversation as I was busy marveling at how fast she eats and the fact she has yet to pause for a breath, my best theory is her gills can also serve as an alternate intake for oxygen but at the moment I had no way of figuring out is I was right.

After mulling over that for a bit my attention returns to the conversation which seems to be drawing to a close;

"So I was hoping you could help her out."

"Of course! Nobody should be denied getting to see Pentakill preform, and Caitlyn owes me a favor anyway."

Before I can fully process what's happening I find myself surrounded by a very large bubble and being rolled outside by Nami as she shouts something about her tab to the bartender and continues to roll me until we get to the dockyard when the infernal orb finally pops and I can figure out which way is up.

"Whadda heck wassat for?" I manage to slur out that excuse for a sentence before falling over in a dizzy heap, this prompts Nami to poorly stifle a laugh.

"Sorry sorry, I just got really excited and unsettled at the same time because we would have a much easier time getting to Piltover if we leave now as apposed to later tonight when the raid is supposed to happen… at least I believe she said it was tonight."

She pulls a piece of paper out of… somewhere; my vision was still obscured from the ride and I can't fathom where she would be able to put things like that. After she checks the note she helps me into a small raft and conjures a small wave to pull it out into the ocean, she then flops in herself and with another wave we were off towards the dockyards of Piltover.

After a few minutes the feeling returned to my limbs and I could see straight again so I figured it would be a good idea to try and actually have a conversation where I'm not stuttering like a cartoon pig;

"So Nami if you don't mind my asking, why are you so far from home; I read your species was quite reclusive and preferred to avoid humans."

"It's a bit of a long story so I'll try and summarize: I'm know as 'The Tidecaller' and its my job to get a special moonstone which houses magic that protects my home, I get this thing called an 'abyssal pearl' and take it to the surface where a human is supposed to take it and give me a moonstone which is a ritual that happens every hundred years, but for some reason this time nobody showed up so I decided to go look for the person with the moonstone myself… honestly I didn't get very far but thankfully my search brought me to the Institute of War where I managed to get some help from the summoners; they use their magic to substitute the moonstone until a bearer can be found and all I have to do is be a champion in some league matches now and again."

Again with this _League_ I read about briefly, this was also the second time I heard the term 'champions', I knew the definition of champion but it seemed like the word was being used in a different context than normal, despite my curiosity I wanted to know more about Nami first.

"I think I understand, but frankly I know quite little about the sea so what kind of dangers would warrant magic wards?"

Nami turns her gaze to the sky and sighs," Well Krakens to start, then there's also Megaladons, great whites, and that jerk in the diving suit…" She mutters the last example under her breath but with little to no other noises her distaste is quite audible.

She would continue to list off some problems and this lead to her retelling of some of her adventures over the course of six days where she had to search for the abyssal pearl, apparently she had actually killed a kraken, survived being swallowed by a megaladon, and fought off plastics rings from six-packs. I was entranced by her stories, her harrowing tales of surviving and even thriving beneath the deep.

"… And that's when I hit it in it's weak point for massive damage and down he went."

"Wow… I didn't even know crabs could get that big."

"Yeah you'd be surprised how often I had to deal with those, but thankfully that's in the past."

"Yeah, umm by the way; you mentioned something about a league and summoners before, what ar-"

 **BTOOM**

I'm cut off mid sentence by the thundering roar of an explosion nearly topples us from the boat from the shock alone, though the ensuing waves didn't help either. Nami manages to sooth out the water around us and we get a chance to turn our attention to the source of the explosion, we were so caught up with Nami's stories we hadn't noticed how we had practically arrived at the dockyards of Piltover, said docks were alight with fires spread across some platforms and buildings with small robots flying around spraying some kind of blue foam on the fires, though it seemed to be a futile effort as the flames were widespread and being fueled by the salty gale of he sea.

I wanted to ask Nami what was happening but before I could even open my mouth she dives headlong into the water and within seconds she conjures a water spout and hurls herself and a plume of water onto the docks which douses a large portion of the flames, I would be in awe of her display of skill if the ensuing tow of water wasn't about to slam the raft into the pier, I highly doubt Nami would be able to hear me with all the commotion on the docks so I'm forced to try something risky; I drop down my case onto the raft and open it, once again a burst of light surges out though its notably less intense this time as I'm not in a dark enclosed tunnel, the sparks swirl around me and images of different tools and weapons flash through my mind but I manage to sift through the chaos and remember the Nami's Tidecaller staff... within a fraction of a second the sparks cluster together and form the Tidecaller staff in my hands.

"Oceans spill forth!" I instinctively call out to the water as Nami's power flows through me like the tide itself as a huge wave comes forth and engulf me and carries me up towards the pier, in retrospect this might not have been the best idea as the wave crashes down onto the pier and I slam onto the cold hard metal.

I manage to pull my face out of the faint indent it had just left as I crashed down a few seconds ago, but before I could get my bearings I was reminded of the chaos as a small gear flies past mere inches from my nose and I quickly move backwards as fast as I could scuttle and find a nice little crate to hide behind, once behind said crate I tried to figure out where I was in relation to Nami; I had apparently launched myself further onto the docks than I thought and was caught in the crossfire of what I assumed to be Piltovers law enforcement and whoever it was invading these docks.

"Go back to Bilgwater you stupid pirates!"

A large crash rings soon after the shout and a man slams into the wall next to me and slumps down, he's still breathing but appears unconscious so using some deductive reasoning I assume he is one of said pirates and notice the group of men wearing similar garb and assume they are the pirates. With the knowledge of which people are my enemies I make my way closer to them utilising the crate as a disguise. I make my way around the group to get behind them and position myself in an area where I can get a clear shot of three of them without putting myself inn the line of fire from others.

"What's that sound?" One of the men cry out as a piece of rope I tripped on pulls a hook across the metal making a scraping noise, I drop and hold still inside the crate as he looks over;

"… Just a box."

Thankfully he doesn't come to investigate and remains in his position to fire a few more shots towards the Pilties, this gives me the opening I need:

"Have a drink!"

I burst out from the crate and cast the 'Ebb and Flow' spell as it crashes onto the closest of the pirates before he can turn, the water slams him to the floor as the wave leaps back towards me; the other two men had noticed me now and one brings his pistol around only to be slammed in the face by the airborne wave and his head smacks into the wall and me slumps down, the last pirate is distracted by his now unconscious friends and I take the advantage and cast Nami's Aqua Prison spell; as the bubble crashes onto him he begins to panic as the orb is lifted into the air and desperately tries to fumble a shell into his gun only for the bubble to pop and he falls onto the floor, he pulls himself up and tries to reach for his gun but I hit him over the head with the Tidecaller and knock him out.

After quickly confirming that these men were out of it and wouldn't get up and shoot me anytime soon I lean against a nearby wall and slump down to take a few deep breaths; I had never used magic like this before and I found it to be tiresome, I suppose that was because I hadn't trained myself to focus my mana or however mages describe the process but nevertheless I felt a glow of pride within myself for helping stop some of these attackers, I closed my eyes for a moment and listened to the world around me; from the sound of things the fight appeared to be drawing to a close: the gunfire was almost gone save for the occasional burst which ended quickly and the sound of running to the far end of the dock where I could see the mast of a ship I assume belong to the pirates as they cried out for their fellows to fall back or be left behind, such is the code of pirates should any of the books I read be true.

I continue to keep my eyes closed and just listen to the world around me partially hoping to hear Nami's voice and partially because I was still resting from the mana use, though I do open the case and let the Tidecaller disintegrate and the sparks return inside, I continue to sit and the sound of the waves is the only thing I can hear; it's a very soothing sound that I don't think I'll ever stop enjoying… its so relaxing it almost makes me… feel kinda… sleepy…

…

I am shocked awake as the sound of metal smashing into metal rings loudly in my ear as I now see a massive steel fist inches beside my head,

"Whats wrong girlie? You get tired during the fight and you and your buddies decide to take a nap?"

My words are caught in my throat as I'm in awe of the woman standing above me; she was quite tall with short pink hair and a police uniform that left little to the imagination and showcased her ample physique and proportions, though that wasn't quite as noticeable because my attention was mostly on the massive metal gauntlets she bore, and when I say massive I mean they were as thick as a Freljord frost trolls arm, and she wore them as thought they were simple silken gloves with one on her hip and the other placed against the wall.

"Not one for talking huh? Well that's okay; I have my methods."

As the officer speaks she removes her hand from the wall beside me and cracks her large metal knuckles…


	3. 3 Assault in the city of Progress

**Chapter 3: Assault in 'the city of' Progress**

"Nami I need you to remain calm and describe her to me."

The sheriff rubbed her temples trying to supress the brewing headache as the Marai hadn't stopped panicking since they had left the dockyards and returned to the precinct; apparently she had made the mistake of separating herself from a friend when she decided to intervene during the raid,

"Uhh she's about five feet tall and has straight shoulder-length hair and she's pale and kinda skinny an-"

"Hold on a moment Nami; it sounds like your describing Luxanna Crownguard."

For the first time in the past twenty minutes the Tidecaller had fallen silent as a look of contemplation splashed across her face;

"I hadn't really noticed it before but she kinda does look like Lux, but with red hair and purple eyes instead."

Caitlyn's brow raised at the mention of this as purple eyes was a fairly common trait among women from Zaun; but before she could further question the distressed Marai, an officer enters the room with an apathetic look that Caitlyn was all to familiar with,

"Don't tell me; VI broke something."

"Not just one thing ma'am; she's destroying half of the city chasing some perp from the dockyard, apparently she looks kinda like Lux."

The colour drained from Nami's scales and she falls to the floor unconscious.

* * *

"Freeze! Or don't, I don't care."

Once again the officer nearly crushes my ribs as I barely side-step her attack and she crashes fist first into a fruit stand, cliché but effective and impeding a pursuer.

"Ma'am how many times do I have to tell you; I am not a pirate; this is all just a misunderstanding."

As she shakes off the remains of the produce she just juiced she continues chasing me through the alleys and down the streets occasionally demolishing a small structure or denting a larger one, as we run I can't help but wonder how in the void this woman was ever instated as an officer of the law when she was wreaking more havoc than a Zaun munitions factory; and what's up with the roman numeral on her face?

"Excuse me officer, if you don't mind my asking; what's the meaning of your tattoo?"

"Vi; Stands for violence!"

She lunges toward me with another punch and topples a news stand giving me an opportunity to flee through a storm of loose paper, I climb atop a nearby lamp-post and look down at the somewhat perplexed officer Vi: I noticed that her eyes appear to be purple like mine; father told me that it was relatively common for Zaun girls to have then as it was a side effect from the amount of chemicals lingering in the air of the city.

"Pardon me officer Vi; but I can't help to notice that between your eye colour and affinity for destruction that you seem like someone from Zaun, would I be correct in saying as much?"

For a single second I see Vi freeze in place and her cocky expression disappear, only for her face toturn deep red and brimming with rage: she turns to face me and leaps into the air before plummeting down towards me, I jump away from the post but she was too fast for me to fully dodge and I feel the full force of her fist crash down on my left leg; the sheer force of the hit liquefies my ankle before we even land on the street and I scream out in pain; this ends up working in my favor as Vi actually freaks out when my jaw splits as I scream and she tries to shake the purple goo that was recently my foot off her fist as she stumbles backward in a panic, I can't stop myself from screaming but I do pull myself together both figuratively and literally long enough to limp dawn an alleyway and heave myself up a fire escape and hold my jaw shut long enough to stop screaming; after the pain had gone down from excruciating to blistering I took a moment to look at the gooey stump that was my left leg, something like this had happened once before when I still lived with father; I had been trying to make his favorite sandwich, Sardines and sauerkraut; when I cut my pinkie off with the knife by mistake, that was the first time I had ever felt physical pain and it caused me to go into shock as I had never dealt with anything so intense before but once father had run into the kitchen and calmed me down he told me that I needed to be more careful but I didn't have to worry about my finger because my body had regenerative properties as my body was made of a semi-solid ooze much like another project that mother worked on, the downside was I still had nerve endings and was otherwise human so it still hurt a lot.

"Where are you, you little punk!? Don't you want your foot back?" I heard Vi shout in the alley below me but I was perched in the sill of a window and out of sight as she slowly walked by with the liquid that was my foot cupped in one hand; I ignored her and hoped she would keep walking as she no longer seemed squicked by it and I didn't need the actually ooze to repair myself though it would be a lot faster.

After she leave the alley and continues to walk away I drag myself further up the fire escape to the roof of the building and sit down, I pull out my case and search my mind for the Tidecaller staff once more and summon its 'secrets'; after it forms in my arms I take the pole and use it to stand up and gain my balance, once upright I hold the staff aloof and use the 'ebb and flow' spell because I remember it could heal the user and hoped it might speed up my foots regrowth and thankfully it does; after about four casts my foot had fully re-formed and I could actually stand upright; the downside was that I was feeling fatigued as I still hadn't had much practice using mana and I was now missing a shoe and the metal buildings where quite cold now that the evening was descending into night, I recalled the Tidecaller and climbed down the building and returned to the rubble that was a newsstand and try to see if I could find my shoe; it should still be inta-

"They always return to the scene of the crime."

I try not to flinch or show any signs of panic, I remain as calm as I can as I find my shoe underneath a magazine and put it back on, I fumble with the laces for a few seconds because I'm staring to tremble but I manage to put it on and stand upright, I remain facing away from Vi and steel my voice as best I can;

"I suppose it's too late to say I'll come quietly?"

"You have no idea." I hear her spit on the ground and crack her knuckles, "I'm going to beat you to a pulp; and seeing how your already half slime that shouldn't be too hard."

That catches me off guard; if she was serious and actually intended to beat me until I was fully liquid that would actually kill me because my body wants entirely slime; I do have a skull and a spine that are made out of a flexible hex-tech metal of some sort, father never told me exactly what it was but I knew enough hits would break it and finish me, I hope if I rile her up she may become too rash to be accurate.

"I suppose that is the way of Zaun: can't use it scientifically; destroy it."

"Why you little… Graahh!"

My ruse worked as she takes a stance with one fist behind her and launches forward and allowing me to sidestep and arm myself, literally: as Vi nears me I manage to roll to the side and call upon Vi's 'secrets' and within a blue flash I find myself endowed with Vi's massive gauntlets, as Vi stops her assault and turns back to face me;

"Would you stop dodg- uhh… what the hell?"

"Whats wrong Vi? Never seen a girl with big strong hands?" That… was a weird sentence.

"Uhh no I mean why the hell are you like a foot taller with bugger… cupcakes?"

I was confused by what Vi meant by my cupcakes being bigger but when I looked myself over I did surprise myself as I was actually taller and my muscles felt firmer and… oh that's what she meant by cupcakes. I would have taken time to look over my new form with more detail but I remembered there was an aggravated officer trying to destroy me.

"Yeah uhh, I'm kinda a shape-shifter, cool huh?"

"Yeah kinda, but I gotta question: If you can change what you look like than why didn't you change to look like something else so it would be harder for me to chase you."

"Yeah I'm pretty new at it honestly, the fact that it happed now is kinda beyond my understanding." Why the hell was I explaining all this? Normally I wouldn't let so much information slip, and I try to use more complicated vocabulary words… maybe it had something to do with my transformation; if my body is closer to Vi's than maybe my mind is too, I suppose that would explain why our conversation has preventer her from punching me so far.

"Well now I know; that'll make it a lot easier for Cait to write the report later, now stand still!"

Oh dear.

Once again vi lunges forward but this time I have no room to dodge and have to take it, though thankfully giant metal gauntlets make for a good shield and I prevent having my face smashed in, after Vi lands a few hits I fell some of the metal casing of the gauntlets break off but after this Vi decides to wind up another punch and I manage to thrust my fist forward and get in a hit to her stomach ad she stumbles back;

"Guh a sucker punch?! You fight dirty, I can respect that, piracy; not so much."

"I know it means little at this point but honestly: I am not a pirate."

Vi starts another charge but I notice she doesn't lunge this time and instead stays on the ground; I try to sidestep like usual but as I do she veers in and keeps me directly ahead of me, I try to doge again when she was only a foot away but once again she stays locked onto me and I feel he fist make contact with my gut and she lifts us both off the ground with a powerful leap before slamming us back into the street, after she uses me to make a dent in the road she takes a step back, I manage t pull myself out of the hole but I fall to my knees and cough up some of my goo, I hear Vi revile in disgust again; for such a violent woman she seems a bit squeamish, I took the irony as an advantage and charged at her and caught her off guard and I managed to get in a few more punches before she recovered and started trading hits, blow after blow after blow we kept fighting; the fatigue growing more and more evident on our faces as we continue to pummel each other in a metal flurry of fists, both our weapons gradually taking more and more causing shrapnel to fly in all directions, in a desperate act we each take a step back and attempt one final blow; our fists closing n on each other only to barley miss causing the metal to scrap between them and sparks to fly from the chaos, I feel my fist connect with her jaw the same moment her fist meets my face.

* * *

"Nami would you kindly stops panicking; your getting water on my ankles and its distracting me."

Caitlyn and Vi had been following the trail of destruction left by Vi and her target Mora hoping to find them before they damaged something that couldn't be fixed by a few auto mechanic drones, thought the trail was oddly becoming harder to follow the further they went as there were less and less signs of damage.

"I'm sorry Caitlyn but I can't help it; what if Vi catches her? What if she hurts her? What if she- "

"Nami please calm down, Vi may be excessive but she wont do any permanent damage to your friend; she may hot her a few times but unless this Mora become a real threat she wont hurt her too much, on that note what do you know about her abilities?"

"Umm… not much really; she once mentioned she could see people abilities or something like that."

"Abilities as in the ones we use in the summoners war games?"

This causes Nami to stop short, she hadn't thought about it much before now as she had been preoccupied by panicking,

"No… no I don't think so, I forgot about this but before we got to the docks she tried to ask me about what summoners and champions were; I don't think she's even heard of League before."

"But how could that be possible? One would have to live in a box their whole life to never learn of the Institute of war or anything associated with it, even Shurima gets advertisement of the league… hold on a moment."

As Caitlyn held her hand up to stop Nami from speaking after her she leaned down to pick up a scrap of metal with purple paint,

"This is from Vi's gauntlet, they went this way, hurry along now."

With a new trail ready to be followed Caitlyn and Nami rush down the alleyway and find more evidence of Vi and Mora's struggles as more dented buildings and toppled light poles brought them to a small demolished newsstand with the wounded enforcer lying on it.

"Oh my goodness Vi!" Caitlyn runs over to her partner and kneels down to hold her face upright; "Vi speak to me please!" Vi remains silent and Caitlyn's façade of calm quickly sheds as she clutches the enforces in her arms.

"… (cough) cupca(cough)…"

"Vi! Your alive!"

The enforcer coughs a few times and sits upright despite Caitlyn's attempts to hold her still;

"Like that punk had the guts to finish me, nah she just got a lucky shot and ran off like a little pu- "

"Vi don't, just…" Caitlyn felt an odd amalgamation of joy and sadness and anger as her fears off her partner being dead were quickly shed,

"Come on cupcake; save it for the bedroom."

Only to have the emotions quickly replaced with just anger, Caitlyn lets go of Vi and quickly stands up and takes a few steps away quickly regaining her serious composure and hoping Nami didn't hear Vi's comment.

"Umm Vi, you said she ran away; do you know what direction?" Nami asks as uses her water to heal some of Vi's wounds.

"Uhh yeah she took off down that way and ducked inside that building." Vi points off toward an old building in the back of a forlorn alley; the building itself had no identification but the Sheriff knew all to well what that building led to; the underground maze of tunnels below Piltover, they branched off all over the city and some even went as far as the Imperial mountains; if the girl got lost down there…

"Vi can you stand?" The enforcer stands up with a little help from Nami and shakes off some dust before giving a confident thumbs-up to Caitlyn, "Good, we need to get back to the precinct; I have an important call to place if we're going to find Nami's friend."

"Wait… so when she kept telling me she wasn't a pirate; she was telling the truth… oops."

In an almost subconscious action Caitlyn pressed her palm against her forehead and led the trio back to the precinct.

* * *

Of all the buildings on this city I could run into why… why did I have to choose this one? After entering the building and throwing open the only door I could see I had just kept running in fear of Vi continuing to peruse me, while I had managed to knock her back onto the small newsstand when we both punched each other the hit nearly cracked my 'skull' open, I could feel the strain of the metal as it nearly snapped open inside my head when she hit me, father told me the metal would slowly re-shape itself because of the techmaturgical properties of the alloy would… ow; thinking too hard actually hurts in this state, I decide to take a few moments and once again call on Nami's 'secrets' and using the tidecaller staff I heal some of my wounds though I am only able to use it a little as I am still exhausted from both the battle and fleeing into this tunnel system… for crying out loud why did it have to be tunnels?!

I was in such a panic I hadn't paid attention to any of the turns I made or looked for any signs and now I was either in the middle of nowhere or a bit to the left of it, this wasn't like back in Zaun when it was just one huge old tube; this was a labyrinth that I could only imagine lead all over Piltover if not further than that, after all of this I basically end up where I started: lost, cold, hurt, and miserable… city of progress... more like… uhh… oh man I'm so sick and tired I can't even make analogies to express my frustration. I tried to keep moving in hopes of finding another exit but the further I wander the more things look the same and I feels as though I'm limping in circles, I very well could be at this point given how many times I got punched in the face but I didn't want this to be the end of my quest; father didn't give me freedom just to squander it in some musty old tunnels. I keep pushing myself forward but with every step I feel my strength draining to the point I need to use the tidecaller as a cane just to stay upright but after hobbling forward a few feet I can tell I'm about ready to collapse; I shuffle over to the wall and lean against it and slowly slide down until I'm sitting on the floor, I realise I need rest but this is the absolute last place I want to let my guard down… Maybe I can close my eyes for a few minutes…

…

*plink*

I heard that, it was only there for a second but I heard it; that same sound from the night before… there was no way that beast could have followed me all the way to Piltover is there? I strain my ears and try to listen for any indication of the direction of the sounds origin but I can barely hear anything over my unsteady breath, I try to pull myself up to run but I don't even get my rear off the ground before collapsing back on myself, another vain attempt and I accept the fact I'm in no condition to stand let alone contest that monster; I close my eyes and let myself drift off again, hoping the beast will remember the last threat it made to me and make it quick.

…

"… _ey…"_

"… _Hey… co..."_

"Come on don't give up on me just yet."

I wake up to a voice that didn't belong to cackling rat creature but instead a young man with shaggy blond hair and sharp blue eyes and for some reason little red triangle beneath his eyes.

"Ok your awake; this is a start, here your dehydrated drink this," The man offers me a bottle full of the clearest water I had ever seen but in my attempt to reach for it my arm falls limp.

"I uhh… I'm gonna need some help drinking this I think."

The man smiles warmly and holds the bottle for me allowing me to drink from it, I could feel every drop of the cold liquid as it splashed down my throat and dissipated into the semi-gelatinous mass that was my body and felt as though a fire burning in my lungs had suddenly been swept away in the current of the drink, after finishing all the water I manage to move my head on my own and I ask the man some questions;

"Thank you for the water but; who are you and why did you help me?"

The young man stands up and brushes off his jacket before speaking;

"My name is Ezreal: The Prodigal explorer, but you can just call me 'Ezreal', no seriously; please don't add the explore bit, I only have to say that leaguel reasons. As for why I helped you well; what good Samaritan wouldn't help a poor young maiden like yourself in their time of need?"

I try to muster my regular apathetic look to respond but Ezreal continues before I can do so;

"Did that sound as dumb to hear as it felt to say?" Ezreal asked; the cocky demeanour quickly swept aside, I give a sideward nod in reply,

"Yeah I thought so; anyway truth be told I came looking for you after Caitlyn called and said you got lost down here, these tunnels are vast and spread really far so she knew she wouldn't have time to track you but I know this place like the back of my hand, so are you ready to go."

I nod once more but once again me attempt to stand result only in my sore muscles becoming even sorer,

"I hate to say it but I really don't think I'll be able to stand in this condition… don't suppose you could help?"

Ezreal's cheeks tinge red for a moment but he does pick me up and starts carrying me though his face reddens once more when doing so;

"Ok so if anyone asks there's nothing between us… actually if people think you're my girlfriend then maybe they wouldn't think Lux… but then again you kinda look like her sorta…"

Ezreal continued to ramble in a similar fashion as he carried me through the tunnels, I didn't pay much attention though as my mind was… preoccupied with… with… _ZZZ…_


	4. 4 The silence is deafening

**Chapter 4: The Silence is Deafening**

* * *

In a world where a mermaid with a stick can heal your wounds in the blink of an eye one has to wonder if people who spent four years and thousands of gold for medical school feel as though they were cheated, I'll have to ask the next non-mermaid doctor I meet.

"Jeez Vi could you have hit poor Mora any harder?"

"Probably; she doesn't have any bones for me to break."

I could hear Nami arguing with Vi in the next room; I wanted to go and tell her it wasn't entirely Vi's fault as I did technically resist arrest and was in a compromising position at the time we met but she insisted I stay in this bed and keep drinking, it hadn't occurred to me not drinking anything for about two days and copious physical exertion was bad for my health.

That wasn't me trying to be humorous; I really didn't know I would be effected by dehydration, I don't have a digestive tract as anything I eat just dissolves inside me and the matter is used as fuel so I understood I needed to eat but why do I need liquid too? I guess I would just have to add this question to the list of things that I won't be able to ask father about… I distract myself quickly before I get emotional and reflect on what had happened after Ezreal helped me out of the tunnels; he had brought me to his house where Nami and the two officers were waiting for us for a number of reasons: one of them being the Sheriff Caitlyn asking me about who I was and what I was doing in the city… that was a bit of a hard conversation to go through but thankfully despite her stern demeanour and… unique fashion choices she was a very kind and understanding woman and apparently I wasn't the first person to be wrongly accused by Vi; I honestly wonder how the two can be in the same room let alone partners given their conflicting personalities but I still had a lot to learn about human interaction I suppose, once all of the paper work was put aside and I got an apology from Vi they let Nami continue to look after me as I was still somewhat dehydrated so Ezreal let me stay in the guest room, I would have to remember to thank him again for his help and hospitality.

I'm pulled out of my flashback induced stupor as I hear someone enter the room; it turns out to be Vi and she's holding a strange looking bottle in her hands, now without massive gauntlets;

"Soo… hey," Vi awkwardly begins; probably still embarrassed she nearly killed me over a misunderstanding.

"Hello officer Vi."

"Yeah you don't need to be so formal, I'm not like cupcake with her big fancy vocabulary and posh accent," Vi grabs a chair and sets it down beside the bed and sits on it backwards… I'll never understand why some people prefer sitting like that.

"So look, I just wanted to make sure there weren't any hard feelings and I brought ya' something;" Vi holds the bottle in front of my face and I can see a dark bubbly liquid inside it, I assume its soda.

"That's very kind of you Vi and no; I don't harbour a grudge with you, I'm sure most officers would do the same given the situation, but as for your gift I don't think I can accept; soda has sugar in it and that could actually hinder my healing as it can make me dehydrate more." I won't lie though, if not for the fact it would disappoint Nami I would chug it right here; father bought me a soda a few times before and I loved them so much; from the sweet taste to the fizzy feeling you get when you drink it…

"You know Nami isn't here to get mad at your right?" I grab the bottle from Vi and snap off the cap in a single swift motion and tilt my head back as far as my metal spine will allow and let the sugary sweet nectar flow down my throat, by the Starchild I love this stuff.

After a few seconds of chugging the contents of the bottle I look back to Vi who was counting her fingers… did I really snatch the bottle that fast?

"… and ten," Vi sighs in relief but quickly regains her composure; "So yeah, Nami left a little while ago after making me promise not to hit you again, why does she care about you so much anyway… uhh no offense."

Vi's question caught me off guard; why did Nami get so concerned for me? We had only known each other for a few hours when we got separated but once Ezreal brought me back here and Caitlyn finished talking with me she practically clung to me…

"I don't know honestly, we've only known each other for a day at this point, maybe its just in a Marai's nature?"

Vi shrugged and adjusted her chair by spinning it around and tilting it back to continue sitting,

"Huh maybe, she is a support after all… anyway she left because she said she needed to get something to help you heal psychopathically or whatever."

"Do you mean 'psychologically'?"

"Yeah that sounds more like what she said, any idea what it meant?"

"She probably thinks being pummeled by a tall, well built woman would lead to some mental trauma; that or she thinks you hit my face really hard, which you did a few times."

For a fraction of an instant I see Vi blush but she spins while sitting in the chair probably trying to hide it,

"Hey wait a sec; you two came over here to see the concert didn't ya'?"

"Oh yeah, Nami wanted to take me to a Pentakill concert in the city, that's today isn't it?"

Vi nearly falls from her precariously balanced chair while laughing;

"No wonder she was so worried; she was afraid I'd squish ya' before you had a chance to see 'The best band in the world'." Vi continued to laugh, a bit less violently this time, and then continued;

"She's obsessed with the band for whatever reason, I mean don't get me wrong they aren't bad but I don't personally get the appeal; I'm more of a techno girl myself."

Vi began to make some odd noises and tap a rhythm on her chair which I assume was supposed to be a song but she's interrupted as Nami walks er… floats into the room with an excited look on her face, I quickly shove the soda bottle beneath my pillow before she gets closer.

"Good news Mora; you get to see the one thing this city doesn't have: Metal!"

I give a sideward glance to Vi in hopes of an explanation but she's busy trying to suppress laughter, much to Nami's discontent as she makes a cute pouty face towards the enforcer;

"Oh you know what I mean Vi… anyway; I got us great tickets for the show later, and I managed to get a backstage pass from Olaf so you can meet the band after the show, isn't that awesome!"

As Nami spoke a smile drew across her face growing wider and wider until her jaw resembled the mug of the small sharks she can summon, she was obviously excited but she quickly reigns in her enthusiasm and with a short cough her composer is much calmer;

"Uhh of course that is if you fell well enough now, given yesterdays events." She shoots a quick glare at Vi who just rolls her eyes and continues to sit in confusing and impractical ways.

"I believe I have recovered well enough thanks to your help and Ezreal's hospitality, so I would be happy to go, thank you Nami." Her face lit up with joy as she swooped closer and started to hug me tightly while frantically speaking to the point I couldn't understand her but I decided to just go along with it; I like her hugs.

"Alright I'm gonna leave you two to listen, or make music… oh right actually I had one more thing for ya kid;" Vi pulls a ball out of the small bag and shakes it out revealing it to be a t-shirt with one of the band members on it, the woman with the long red hair and black dress, "I got this from Mord' once after we worked together in a match, but it's a bit small for me so I figured you might like it; it should fit so long as you don't do that thing with your… cupcakes again."

I can feel my face flush red for a moment but thankfully Nami didn't seem to be paying attention and didn't ask what Vi meant which is nice because explaining would be awkward, Vi laughs for a bit as she closes the door behind her leaving Nami and me alone to get ready to head out to the concert.

* * *

"Nami I hate to say it but I don't think I'm a fan of this kind of music; it just sounds like a lot of people shouting over each other…"

"Uhh the band hasn't started playing yet, that is actually the sound of a lot of people shouting over each other, you really haven't heard metal before have you?"

"No, Father told me it would be better to listen to classical music or free-form jazz."

Nami's mouth takes on an odd curve and raises an eyebrow which looks both confused and adorable, but it was quickly replaced with a look of awe as the lights went dim and the crowd's roars fade slightly and smoke starts rising from the stage, five silhouettes rise from the shadows and a deep booming voices sounds out;

" **I like my weapons how I like my music; heavy…"**

"AND METAL!" The crowd roars in near unison as cryptic dissonance begins and halts for a single moment its is near silent before suddenly become a polyphony of incredible sounds, I find myself so lost in the instrumentals speed and power I nearly miss the lyrics until the skeletal vocalist roars out:

 _"Now there's nothing in my way; You'll feel my Deathfire Grasp!"_

As the intensity of the music continues to rise I find myself bobbing my head to the beat, the air around me was electric with the excitement of the crowds as the song continues on, somehow I get caught up in all of it and end up considerably closer to the stage and I can finally see the band past the smoke and spotlights and get a chance to actually see the band, up until now I had only seen the band on paper in some ads but seeing them in person was a spectacle; I had believed them to be wearing costumes but now that I could see that the lead singer Karthus had no skin or muscle tissue on his face, in fact by the looks of it he had no real flesh on his body… that's a bit unusual.

As I continue observing the band I find my gaze quickly drawn towards the bassist with her flowing red hair; she had very delicate and refined features with pale skin, traits I had read that were common for Ionians, she was wearing a strapless black dress that left little to the imagination as it accentuated her slender figure and sizable… cupcakes, but what I found even more intriguing was instrument; it was some sort of string instrument that made both the cords and her hands glow as she played, I would have continued to observe the one I believe was names Sona but the song was wrapping up and the drummer, Olaf I think; had knocked over some of the pyrotechnics and set part the stage alight which only further delighted the crowd it seems… A man quickly walks on stage after the band steps backstage and makes a short announcement;

"We apologize for the inconvenience but we ask you all to move to the concession area whilst we deal with the fire and make some repairs to the stage." The man quickly hops off the stage as the fire slowly spreads, some security personnel begin to usher the fans out but I notice Nami over by the stage helping put out the flames with her tidecaller so I worm my way around the security and call upon my own tidecaller and do my best to help;

"Oh Mora there you are, I was wondering where you got to, so tell me; was that awesome or was that awesome!?"

"That seems like a loaded question given the options but I will admit it was awesome, too bad the stage caught fire though…"

Nami's cheeks puff out a bit as she poorly tries to stifle a laugh, "Are you kidding Mora? Lighting the stage on fire is like the bands signature, I've been helping put them out for a while now since I never miss a show, heck that's why they gave me an afterlife-time pass for there shows."

"I see… wait what's an 'afterlife-time pass'?"

"I'll get Karthus to tell you later."

With that the two of us and a handful of those small drones I saw at the docks the other day douse the flames, Nami takes me back out to the concession area and we grab some snacks to eat while they repair the stage;

"So Nami I must ask; how is it that Karthus can sing despite the fact he has no tongue… or lips… or vocal cords for that matter?"

"Probably the same reason I have a wave constantly beneath me;"

"Magic?" I ask before stuffing a handful of popcorn in my mouth

"Magic." Nami confirms with a nod.

We continue eating food that can't possibly be healthy but by the Starchild if it didn't taste wonderful, after about ten minutes the doors to the stage room open once again and the fans pour in and the band begins to play once again;

 _"My king my king how was I supposed to know that everyone will falter when you diiie…"_

As the song went on I realised this song was named 'Thornmail' after the enchanted armor that Jarvan the First left to his son Jarvan the Second so that he could fight back the hordes of Noxian invaders after his death, I had read about this event a few times but to hear it retold in a way so metal... it was awe inspiring.

After the song had finished Karthus grabbed a bottle off a nearby stool and left the stage while taking a swig, I was going to ask Nami what was happening but before I got the chance the bassist Sona steps, or rather _floats_ to center stage where Karthus had been standing just before and Pentakill begins another song...

"…"

I had a hard time following this song; it seemed to be referring to some enchanted item that protected the user from some sort of guardian but the lyrics seem disjointed, almost as thought there weren't actually lyrics and Sona was just making some up as she played, but the instrumentals were amazing like the previous songs so I was able to still enjoy this one, especially the solo near the end.

"Mora you okay? You haven't like, breathed since the song began."

"What? oh sorry, I've been… whoa head rush; I guess I really wasn't breathing, uh anyway I just kinda got distracted trying to hear the song."

"Really? I mean I know the crowds pretty loud but I can hear the music fine."

"No I hear the instrumentals fine but I mean I could hardly hear Sona."

I'm stating to wish I owned a camera because Nami makes another adorable face that appears to be a mix of confusion whist trying to find the right words to use,

"Uhh Mora, Sona is mute; she can't talk…"

"What?"

Nami puts her hand on my head and turns me back towards the stage holds up a bubble to my eye allowing me too see Sona a lot closer and her mouth wasn't moving at all despite the words I was hearing, the beautiful words seemed to flow through the air as if by… oh wait.

"Nami I don't want to be rude but first; could you please let my head go?"

"Oh sorry." Nami lets me go and the bubble she was holding floats off somewhere.

"Thank you; secondly I swear I hear her singing, and while I agree she isn't moving her mouth but if Karthus can sing because magic why couldn't Sona?"

"I… well… okay you got me in a box, look I'll explain during the after-party I promise."

I wanted to press further and get some answers but I didn't want cause any trouble for Nami so I remain relatively quiet for the rest of the show.

* * *

"Is it normal to taste metal after the concert?"

"Uhh not usually, I think you may have been to close to the pyrotechnics."

Nami and I made our way backstage after the hall had cleared out a bit, it had been eventful show as the crowd raved on as the music continued and the stage only caught fire twice more; apparently a record low for the band.

"Uhh by the way Mora sorry if I seemed to harsh about the Sona thing, I tend to get a little exitable during shows."

"Its no problem Nami; for all I know I might have been hearing things, after all I might have brain damage from head trauma and dehydration."

Nami opens her mouth to respond but she stops herself and gets a confused look, probably trying to figure out if I'm kidding or not… which now that I think about it I am feeling somewhat off…

"Nami take my hand please."

"It's okay if you're a bit nervous Mora; but don't worry they won't bite… actually Olaf might if he's had a few."

"No Nami seriously I think I'm blacking out again…"

"Oh… Oh dear hang on just a touch longer then I have an idea!"

My head starts spinning as I feel my consciousness slipping again; I'm getting way too familiar with this sensation. I figure the reason this time is a combination of the excitement and the fact I wasn't quite recovered from yesterday but all I knew is it means I'm not going to meet the band… dammit.

Before I can fully slip into the dark abyss of unconsciousness I feel a wave of warmth and power wash over me like a melodic hug, I feel as though I am cradled in the bosom of love and life itself. I open my eyes and see I'm not too far off; I was lying atop Sona's body while her instrument hovered before us, I could only sit and marvel at the way her fingers played across the strings, the sweet and soothing tempo of her music rejuvenating me.

After lying against her body for an awkward amount of time I give a quick cough to allude that I was awake now and Sona pushes the Etwahl aside allowing me to stand, once I was off of her she made a few gestures I believe are a form of sign language and I heard her phantom voice again;

 _"I hope you feel better now, Nami has told me you've had a troubling time these past few days."_

"Uhh yeah I guess I have, I think it was just the excitement and the fumes from the stage that got to me… oh pardon my manners; my name is Mora."

 _"It's nice to meet you Mora, I am Sona, though guessing by your garb you probably knew that."_

I nod in reply as I remember the shirt Vi gave me, I'd have to ask her to sign it later.

"So umm miss Sona, this might sound odd but I think I can hear you, or at the very least hear your thoughts."

A light smile traces across her face as she motions as though laughing;

 _"I expected as much, when Nami brought you too me she mentioned you were saying you could hear me 'singing', I must apologize that the lyrics weren't quite complete; since I can't speak I haven't really felt inclined to write them in full."_

"Well despite that the song is amazing… wait you aren't surprised I can hear you?"

 _"Not at all, I have met numerous psychics since I joined the league, its nice to be able to communicate so quickly, especially since the only member of the band who can hear me is Karthus but he listens about as well as a brick wall…"_

Sona cocks her head to the side as a small pouty frown pull across her face and I can faintly hear her muttering in her head about how Karthus is a… whoa didn't expect that kind of language from her.

"Umm if you don't mind me changing the subject; where is Nami? Last I remember she was pulling me into this room when I started to pass out."

This bring Sona out of her funk and stand up and floats toward the door while gesturing for me to follow, which I do.

 _"She left you in my care as my magic is very powerful for healing minds, and given the symptoms it seemed like that was what you needed more so than Nami's waters, they are effective at healing wounds and cleansing your body, but not as powerful for your mind."_

"I see, I think I understand but I'm not going to lie I still feel somewhat confused as I don't quite understand how magic works… but err, you still haven't told me where Nami was."

" _My apologize, she went ahead after I said I could heal you as she wanted to warm the other members to go easy on you so as not to potentially cause you to lapse into unconsciousness again, they can get… rambunctious after a show."_

"How so miss Sona?"

Before either of us could say another word a set of double doors burst outward as the body of Yorick Mori flies through them and crashes into the wall across the hall;

"HA! I TOLD YOU I COULD TOSS YOUR SORRY ASS ACROSS THE ROOM YORICK!"

 **"That hardly counts Olaf; you used and Elixir of Iron, that's cheating."**

"NOBODY CARES MORD!"

A few bottles and miscellanies pieces of electronics fly out the door as more sounds of struggle quickly become evident and Nami flops out of the room with numerous microphone cables wrapped around her as she tries to struggle out of them.

"Honestly I think I'd prefer to pass put again right about now."

Sona presses her hand to her face and rubs her temples as I hear her mutter some more profanity in her head.


	5. 5 Beleaguered

**Chapter 5: Beleaguered**

* * *

 **Sorry to keep you waiting.**

* * *

"So why were you tied up anyway?"

"Oh that was my own fault; I tripped on a box of microphone cables when I walked in."

"But… you float; how do you trip on something when you float"?"

"Uhmm… Oh look Sona's back."

As Nami deflects the conversation Sona floats in now returned from changing into her regular attire, and apparently changing her hair color, I'd have to ask her how she does that later as I've always had a hard time with hair when I try to morph.

" _Sorry that took so long, I ended up tripping on some loose cables on my way back."_

Nami tries to suppress her laughter as I decide ignorance is bliss in this context and let Sona continue speaking… err you know what I mean.

" _So now that the concert is over what do you two want to do?"_

"Uhh beg your pardon miss Sona?"

" _Well I don't get many opportunities to come out to Piltover so I thought the three of us could have a bit of fun before Nami and I head back to the institute."_

Sona's words cause a realization for me that both Sona and Nami have lives of their own and things they have to do and I couldn't cling to them like a frightened child… even though that's basically what I am. I try to force my fears aside as the word 'Institute' reminds me of something I had read recently, but I couldn't remember if it was about robots kidnapping people or something about a League…

"Uhh What is this Institute your referring to Sona? I think I've heard about it briefly before but I don't know what it is."

Sona Glances over to Nami with a puzzled look as though she expected Nami to have explained this to me before but Nami just shrugs with another cute face and Sona floats over and sits down on the bench beside me giving me a chance to see her dress closer… I think this one actually shows more skin somehow.

" _Well I'll do my best to explain it without taking hours; about twenty years ago a group of summoners who are very powerful mages banded together to create a means of governing the rapidly growing threat of war and strife and finding a peaceful means of settling conflicts between the city-states of Runeterra, so they created 'The Institute of War'; a place where they would house and train powerful mages to work together and also keep more dangerous and powerful magic restrained, but there is one more purpose the Institute provides; a chance."_

"A chance for what?"

" _Near anything Mora; the institute needs champions: people like me and Nami who have powers beyond that of the average person so they can keep balance and order by having us participate in 'The League of Legends', events that pit people against each other in a magic arena where death doesn't last and conflicts don't need to end with bloodshed, calling on heroes from all across Runeterra, so differences can be settled in the rift as apposed to armies slaughtering each other and razing the land. And that Mora; is the institute of war."_

…

…

…

"Oh crap I think she passed out again!"

Nami's concern snaps me out of my stupor,

"Sorry about that I just… I think my mind froze trying to process all of that… my mind is like forty percent computer so I think that's possible."

" _Wait what does she mean by that."_

Nami gives Sona an abridged short version of my story to explain how I'm goo and metal that looks human, it was a bit awkward and Sona seemed even more confused by the end of it but brushed it off and muttered something about meeting stranger beings.

" _Well now that that's out of the way I think I have an idea for what we could all do although it would have to wait until tomorrow; would you two be available then?"_

"Well I got no plans and Mora has, well nothing so she's free… that sounded a lot less terrible in my head."

After Nami made plans with Sona we made our way back to Ezreal's house and Nami profusely apologized the whole way home while I tried to reassure her at this point I had enough head trauma to be mostly over the events, though my choice of words seemed to have only made things more awkward.

"So are you sure Ezreal wont mind us staying another night?"

"Nahh its totally fine, I crash here all the time and he never says anything about it, besides if he wasn't expecting us why would he leave the door unlo-"

As Nami opens the door and we step inside she pauses mid sentence and stares across the room, I manage to worm in beside her and see what apparently stunned her as across the room I see Ezreal lying on his couch kissing a young woman with straight blond hair, I couldn't see much more of her from this angle so I had no other details yet but shortly after Nami opened the door the two paused mid kiss and stared over at us, for some reason everyone just kinda stared at each other in silence for a few minutes until Ezreal sits up quickly causing the woman to fall off the couch but the two of them quickly brush themselves off and straighten there clothes and try to act composed as Ezreal welcomes us back;

"Nami, Mora; how nice to see you… how was the concert?"

Nami and Ezreal start making some awkward small talk with each other so I go to see the young woman still sitting on the floor by the couch, I also took a moment to observe her looks as I always seem to do that when I meet someone; she had straight blond hair that fell to her shoulders, she had bright blue eyes that seemed to almost glow, she had a modest frame that was showcased by some tight blue pants and a black undershirt, I could see some light plate-mail lying at the end of the couch that guessing by the size belonged to her. After trying to look her over without being creepy I sit down beside her and offer my hand;

"Hello, my name is Mora."

The young woman looks at me for a moment and seems somewhat confused but smiles and shakes my hand and replies;

"Nice to meet you, my name is Luxanna Crownguard, but you can call me Lux."

When she tells me her name I get a weird sense of Jamais vu and a quick burst of rage shoots through my mind, it passes as soon as it came so I figured it was probably just my head trauma acting up again and continue my conversation with Lux;

"Lux… I think Ezreal mentioned you while he saved me from the tunnels the other day."

"He saved you? Well no wonder he was so quiet today, he's so shy when he does something heroic; especially if it involves a pretty girl like you."

I can feel my face turn slightly red, blushing I think its called, at her comment Ezreal yells her name and she giggles a bit as apparently she intended to embarrass him a bit, I had read that some young couples do that but I really didn't understand it. After some time had passed the awkward tension settled and Nami herded me into the guest room I had been in earlier that day and closes the door behind her and sighs aloud.

"Well I think I filled my awkward quota for the next month or so today."

Nami flops onto the bed and curls up on the bed like a dog; I would say this is odd but frankly I still know very little about the Marai and their ways, I also get in the bed and pull the blankets over myself causing Nami to stretch and adjust her positioning ending up lying on her side more like a human would, I found myself caught in a weird combination of comfort and unease as I lay beside Nami in the bed; I suppose it was the comfort of someone I know and trust being so close and the unease that I was sharing a bed with someone, tough I suppose anyone would feel weird if they spent there entire life alone at night and then one day they share a bed with a good friend. After a few minutes I get into a comfortable position and let the sound of Nami's bubbly breathing lull me to sleep.

"Hey Nami; If you're a mermaid who always has a wave of water and I'm a slime thing how is it possible we didn't get the bed wet?"

"The fact that is your biggest concern astounds me."

I decide to just accept the fact my life is going to be full of logical impossibilities and continue eating my toast when Lux walks in to the breakfast nook;

"Good morning you two, sleep well?"

Lux's bright smile was practically contagious as she pulled out a chair beside me and sat down, she practically glowed as the sun shone down on her through the window but my guess is that's from her magical abilities as they appear to be based around light manipulation; I managed to figure that out when I found her staff propped against the table this morning.

"Mornin' Lux, yeah we slept fine; probably because we were half exhausted from the Pentakill concert!"

Nami excitedly started dancing on her chair causing a bit of water to splash onto the floor, its almost like she becomes a child simply out of her enjoyment, I just can't really relate to having unfettered joy in a given situation… this toast need more butter.

"So Mora, Ezreal didn't tell me much about last night and I was hoping I'd get to know you a bit better; If your okay with that I mean." Lux tilts her head to the side a bit and smiles again and I feel compelled to spill my heart to her, either she has some mental manipulation capabilities or she's just really damn cute,

"Well there isn't really a whole lot to me but I'll do my best; My name is actually Morphine but that's not as easy to say as Mora, I'm a from Zaun and my best friend is a Marai I've known for less than seventy-two hours… oh and I'm also made of slime and metal."

Lux takes this information surprisingly well and simply continues eating some toast while nodding contemplatively… wait isn't that my toast?

"Zaun huh? Well that explains your distinct eye colour, pretty common trait; although the slime thing did catch me off guard a bit because you look so real… can I touch you?"

Nami spits a bit of milk out while attempting to say something about 'phrasing' and I pull up my shirt to expose my stomach and let Lux poke at my 'flesh':

"Wow, if you hadn't told me I don't think I'd ever figure out you weren't human; so when you eat do you actually form a stomach or does it just dissolve into your being?"

Lux continued to ask me a number of questions without giving me a moment to answer as she kept poking and prodding at different parts of my body, I don't know a whole lot about basic human interaction but I don't think this is quite normal.

"Alright Lux I think that's enough; you keep that up and Ezreal might get jealous."

Nami quips as she tugs at Lux's shirt and coaxes her off me, Nami then sits beside me and whispers to me,

" _Sorry about that; she gets really excited at a new learning opportunity, it took her brother and two other Demacian soldiers to get her to leave me alone."_

Nami briefly shivers as she recalls the event, while I awkwardly glance at Lux who is still at the table but blushes and looks away probably embarrassed by her behavior.

Before the situation can get any more awkward… assuming that would even be possible: Ezreal walks out into the kitchen and greets us; "Good morning ladies, hope you all slept well; I know Lux and I did."

" _Phrasing."_

Nami's mention of the word prompts Lux to spit out a bit of her juice while Ezreal's face turns deep red while I'm still trying to understand what she meant, after everyone calmed down a minute Ezreal grabs a chair and takes some toast while muttering something under his breath wondering why he lets Nami stay so often but its mostly inaudible over the sounds of the rest of the room. From that point onward breakfast was rather quiet until later in the morning when Ezreal and Lux left for different destinations I wasn't privy too because I still have no idea where anything is in this city but Nami soon gathered me to go and meet Sona for whatever it was she had planned today,

"Nami please stop using the bubble to roll me around like this."

"Sorry Mora but I don't want to risk losing you while we're out again; that and your tendency to faint is a bit hazardous."

"Oh on that note I think I figured out why that keeps happening; VI dented a part of my skull in such a way it isn't able to self-repair just right: so next time we find a decent hammer I need you to bash my temple in okay?"

Nami struggled for words as she continued to roll me down the streets garnering the attention of many a passerby, I imagine this is normal for Nami. After rolling me a few more blocks we come to the outside of a large building; I try to read the signs but at this point the bubble pops and my vision is obscured by the water as I try to rub dry,

" _Nami I don't think you should be so rough with Mora; she doesn't seem like the kind of girl who'd enjoy it."_

Nami begins laughing and says 'phrasing' once more prompting Sona to rub her left temple a little when something dawns on me;

"Nami how can you hear Sona? I mean I have partial psychic abilities but how do you hear Sona?"

"The fault of creative oversight, but lets just say using magic water to hear vibrations or whatever."

" _Umm… I'm not quite sure how to react to this… Anyway girls I had the perfect idea of what we could do today."_

I finally managed to wipe the water out of my eyes and twisted my body to wring out my clothes, I look over to Sona who was wearing a loose t-shirt and some jeans with her hair tied back in a single pony-tail as appose to two, it was odd seeing her dressed so casual but at the same time her outfit had its own charm…

" _Mora? Mora can you hear me?"_

Oh crap I did it again;

"Sorry Sona I was just… uhh… believable excuse?"

"… _Oh I see; that's alright then it happens all the time, anyway I was saying in lieu of a firsthand experience I thought I'd show you what the League is like from a spectator's point of view."_

Sona takes my hand… wow she has soft hands; and she coaxes me further into the large stadium, leading me past large crowds and needlessly expensive snacks until we were standing in front of a large decorative set of doors that had the words 'CHAMPIONS PREP. ROOMS' delicately engraved into the metal, before I can even ask why she brought me her she pulls me inside into a surprisingly well furnished lounge area with many paintings and finely crafted weapons hanging on the walls; though the decorations were hardly the most eye-catching sight… wait if they were that interesting why did I bring them up first? Uhh anyway what I found significantly more interesting where some of the people in the room; over towards the door marked 'away team' a man with light brown hair wearing massive armor was suspending his entire body on one arm whilst pushing up, the fact he was able to do this so effortlessly was a wordless testimony to his strength and I could only imagine his other potential feats after noticing the huge sword lying on the ground beside him as he continued doing his impractical but impressive push-ups, across from I was a short creature with a giant mass of hair larger than the rest of his body; I think he's a Yordle, up until now I had never actually seen one outside of textbooks and my nightmares but this one had on a lab coat and large red goggles, he (I'm assuming it was a male as I read that females are blue and not covered in hair apparently) was intently observing the armoured man and marking down figures in a notepad so fast I could hardly perceive them, before long though Sona once again started pulling me again and waiving to the armored man as we passed; he waved back with the hand he had been suspending himself with… somehow, she pulled me to a room marked 'home team' so I assumed that meant the champions of Piltover would be here, as soon as we enter the room my assumption is verified as I can see Vi and Caitlyn checking their weaponry; I waved to them getting a polite nod from Caitlyn and a hearty wave from Vi that ends up denting a locker she was standing beside causing Caitlyn to pinch the bridge of her nose, Sona brings me over to the next row of lockers where HOLY CUPCAKES!... Uh I mean uh… A tall and slender woman with flowing platinum blond hair and sharp features, though you'd hardly notice due to her incredibly distracting choice of outfit if you could even call it that: it was small corset like top and a pair of shorts with a long length of cloth on the front and back and finished with a pair of gloves and some sort of wrapping on her lower legs… I'm not sure whether I find this outfit offensive or empowering.

"Why hello Sona, who's your friend there?" The woman asks with soothing and slightly breathy voice and Sona motions for me to introduce myself;

"My name is Mora, it's a pleasure to meet you miss err…" Crap I used the wrong formality,

"My name is Janna; Janna Windforce, it's a pleasure to meet you too Mora,"

Janna then floats closer and extends her hand which I shake while I internally wonder why I meet so many pretty floating woman, after what I hope was an appropriate amount of time to shake someone's hand I let go and then Sona and Janna start conversing with each other; I can't understand her sign language so I wander over to where I saw Caitlyn and Vi a few moments ago but oddly enough they had already left but what I did notice was a large blue staff with orange orbs on it lying on the floor beside the newly dented locker, out of sheer curiosity I pick it up but for once I don't get any information about it, I've never really been sure what triggers my ability to learn/copy powers but I really wanted to know what the heck this thing was as it didn't look like any other device I had seen since I got here, I try concentrating on the weapon really hard on the weapon…. Ow… I think I literally hurt myself by thinking too hard; I thought that only happened to Noxians.

"Hey Ja- oh there you are, c'mon we have a match too win!"

Before I could even fully process her words I feel the all too familiar vice like grip of Vi's gauntlet wrap around me waist and yanks me through a huge door and I'm nearly blinded by the light of high noon and the combine flash of hundreds of cameras; I blink furiously in vain hopes of regaining my sight when I hear the sound of metal against metal as I regain my sight just in time to see the door Vi drug me through close and lock meaning I'm stuck in the arena, my mind races as I try to comprehend m situation and figure out how Vi managed to mistake me for… oh no, I force myself to look down at myself and sure enough I'm not looking at myself I'm looking at Janna; I must have morphed while trying to figure out her staff, even my clothes shifted: I never managed that before and now I'm standing in a giant arena to compete in some kinda game I know nothing about with people I barely know in the body of a woman I just met… I don't even know where to put this on 'My list of days where I should have stayed in bed'.

Back in the halls leading toward the champions lounge a mildly perplexed Marai floats down the hall and enters the room to see the Maven of Strings sitting on one of the couches;

"Hey Sona whats the deal running off with Mora like that? The match is about to start and I don't think Mora would want to miss this!"

" _Oh there you are Nami, I'm sorry I neglected to mention I was taking Mora to meet Janna; I didn't realise we had gotten so caught up in our conversation and lost track of time."_

"Uhh ok then but wheres Mora? I wanted to get to our seats early so I could brief her on the different champs out there today." Nami was noticeably excited as her wave spiraled and splashed beneath her; the idea of introducing her new friend to what was easily the most exciting sport in Runeterra excited her more than the time she figured out how to fly when it rains,

" _I thought she left to join you in the stands; she wasn't in the changing room with Janna and I,"_

Before the two could look any further into the whereabouts of their friend a distressed Janna floats into the room; "Sona Have you seen my staff? My locker was broken open and now I can't find it! I need it for the match… well I mean I don't **need** it but it ties my ensemble together nicely."

The three woman float together in silence for a moment as they each have a different train of thought; Nami was trying to think of something clever to say about Janna's outfit, Janna was wondering where her staff was despite the fact it had nothing to do with her actual powers; in fact she had occasionally traded it out for an umbrella, meanwhile Sona was putting together the pieces and came to a realisation which was quickly proven by the announcer's voice echoing from the stadium:

"Ladies and Gentle please welcome to the rift: Heimerdinger! Jayce! Caitlyn! Vi! And Janna!"

" _Mora found your staff and must have morphed and now she's out in the arena."_

I am so lost, before I really have any chance to tell someone I wasn't Janna I was once again dragged to a strange platform where a magic circle surrounded us and trapped us inside only making me even more freaked out but once again my attempts to try and explain myself are stifled by Vi shoving a strange golden coin into my hands and telling me to hold onto it, I try to stick it somewhere into the gooey mass that is my body but for some reason I feel weirdly solid and I'm forced to put it in my pocket… how the hell does this outfit have pockets? I try once more to speak but my voice is drowned-out by the crowd as Vi pulls me into a dense forest and lets go of me near a bush and runs toward a river in the distance while telling me 'to be ready to leash' whatever that means… as I wait for Vi to return I finally get the hang of floating like Janna as I'm able to better comprehend her powers which have nothing to do with the staff which might explain why I didn't get any information about it; instead Janna's abilities originate within her which was going to complicate things even further as I still have a hard time controlling magic; when using Nami's powers they are mostly the work of her weapon the Tidecaller but now I'm going to have to do this on my own power… do I even have any of my own?

Before I can dwell on the thought Caitlyn appears from around the bend of the odd rock formations and stands beside me, I try to think of something to say but I just feel as though my mind came screeching to a halt…

"Mora please don't take this the wrong way but what do you think your doing impersonating a League Champion in a ceremonial match intended to celebrate the bond between Piltover and Demacia?"

This woman's deductive powers are impressive to say the least;

"Look I know this probably looks bad but the synopsis of the situation is that I tried to use Janna's staff which ended up being nothing more then a prop but I triggered my morphing ability somehow and became Janna then before I could react VI grabbed me and pulled me into the arena and then she made me buy a gold coin thingy and then left me here an-"

Caitlyn places her finger over my mouth to silence me… her hand smells like donuts and rifle oil,

"Alright so this is partially Vi's fault, can't say I'm surprised but regardless this situation doesn't have an easy amendment; to leave and retrieve Janna would require us to surrender, and to admit you aren't Janna but actually a Zaunite Shape-shifter would potential cause civil unrest… I hate to say this Mora but it seems you will need to remain here with us for the remainder of the match, are you aware of the rules of a league match?"

"To put it simply: I have absolutely no idea, Sona and Nami brought me here to learn how matches usually work but Sona wanted me to meet Janna and I already panic-explained the rest."

Caitlyn rubs her temples and mutters something vaguely profane but I get distracted by Vi returning from wherever she had just been;

"Alright ladies' tea party is over get ready to take blue!"

Before I can ask her what she means by 'take blue' the ground begins to shake and a massive stone creature vaults from behind the rock formation before us and crashes to the ground in front of us; I expect the creature to attack us but it simply stands there, as though silently observing us; I get a chance to look at it as I stare deep into the glowing core of its stone body as a gentle blue light pulses throughout its- "HERE COMES THE PUNCHLINE!"

Vi begins… punching the creature while it reels back and starts attempting to fight back, I turn to Caitlyn for answers but before I can ask anything she opens fire on the creature leaving me more than perplexed;

"Hey Janna you wanna help or are you just going to stand there!?… or _float_ I guess."

Vi's shout pulls me from my stupor long enough for me to see the golem creature preparing to attack her; I dig into my mind and find a shield spell and cast it onto Vi just as the creature's arm crashes down but thankfully the blow is absorbed by the translucent sphere instead, once the creature reels back from its attack being blocked Vi punches it once more and shatters it to pieces, as it falls the blue glow leaves its body and forms a translucent blue circle around Vi's feet,

"Alright blue buff is mine! Good luck with your lane Cupcake!"

With that Vi runs deeper into the woods and Caitlyn beckons me to follow her and I try to comply but as I instinctively try to walk I forgot I was suspended about a foot off the ground; Caitlyn had to come back and drag me like VI did before until I get a chance to practice as several very short robed figures waddle by and start fighting similar looking creatures cloaked in a different colour,

"Alright Mora, these are minions; they are essential to winning the match as the provide gold, distract turrets, and a living shield; take care to make sure there are some between you and the enemy."

I take her advice as best I can and watch as she attacks the minions with her rifle, when they fall I spontaneously get a coin which I can only assume is the result of the strange larger coin Vi made me buy, I try to observe the creatures known as minions as the walked single file line form the large gem back where we had started to all the way down here in this lane where they'd meet headlong with another groups of slightly different ones and fight, I tried getting closer to see whether the minions were biological or machine;

"Mora what did I say abo-"

Caitlyn suddenly goes silent and I turn back to see why when a small ball of light floats close by and stops, I try to move away from it but I feel as though I'm sinking into the ground and can barely move, I manage to pull myself a few more inches and regain proper traction when I hear something burst behind me, commons sense tells me it was probably the same ball of light from a moment ago and I run… float back to Caitlyn as fast as I could as she had taken position near the river where the lane bends and she was firing at something,

"Mora get down!"

Caitlyn barks and I comply hitting the dirt as fast as I could as a silver bolt whizzes overhead and imbeds itself within the rocks, the all too familiar click of a crossbow being loaded sounds out behind me, I whip around s fast as I can fearing the worst but as I spin I conjure a tailwind that forms into small tornado that lurches forward and into a bush causing a dark shape to fly skyward; all I could see were the curves of a crossbow and beady red eyes glaring down at me… no it couldn't be… how could he have… he wouldn't have followed me would he!?

I feel the area of my chest that would contain a heart were I human start to pulse faster and faster as it becomes hard to breath; I try to run further down river where Caitlyn was but I don't want to lose sight of him lest he make himself invisible and chase me down, I turn back to face the river for a split second and sure enough when I turn back he's vanished; I call forth another of Janna's and a huge gale swirls around me and I see the dust and soot on a nearby wall get blown aside as though something just hit it so I keep floating as fast as I can with the wind itself carrying me faster, I see an ingress along the rock wall that seems to lead in toward the forested area where Vi had been earlier; I hope to hide among the foliage and figure out where Caitlyn wen-… I've been shot, I can feel the bolt in my leg but I grit my teeth and keep going, I float right now so legs are negligible, I conjure up another tornado to throw behind me but I let this one wait a moment as it seems to become more powerful if I let it charge; I lease it to the general direction from which the shot came and keep running when I hear a small grunt and the grass beside me bends… he hit me again, this time it was in the shoulder almost exactly where he had shot me way back in Zaun, I try one last time to attack but I simply can muster enough power and I'm shot right in my chest, this time the blow is powerful enough it knocks me into a nearby wall and takes the wind out of me; I'd appreciate the irony if not for the fact I was in terrible pain, I crane my neck up fearing the gruesome snout of the wretched rat to be in my face but instead of that I see… well frankly I'm not quite sure what I see: It appears to be a woman wearing a skin tight black jumpsuit with odd armored gauntlets and boots and sharp glasses with red lenses and a small wrist mounted crossbow paired with a MASSIVE one on her back…

"Don't worry, it won't hurt much longer."

The woman shrugs the crossbow off her back and holds it level with my neck, I want to move but I have nowhere to go, I have no mana to fight…

I take one last breath and close my eyes.


	6. 6 Synthetic heart, Real emotion

Synthetic heart, real emotion

* * *

 **I hate Cliff-hangers but the last chapter was almost double the regular length…**

* * *

I don't know how long I've had my eyes closed but it felt like an eternity which seems very odd considering up till now it seemed like this woman was intending to finish me quickly, I force my eyes back open where I see she's still standing in front of me with her crossbow level with my neck but she seems like she's been frozen in place; I'm tempted to just ask her why she hasn't killed me but before I can a blue vortex surrounds her and after a few seconds she vanishes… I have less than no idea what happened and I'm positive 'less than no idea' isn't a proper use of English.

Before I can dwell on the issue to much Vi crashes out of the foliage and rushes over to me picking me up and carrying me back towards the fountain we had started at while uttering many profanities including about twelve I had never heard before. Once we return to the fountain she drops me; the air catching me before I could fall more than a few inches evidently causing slight ire in Vi,

"Okay what the hell do you think you're doing pretending to be Janna and sneaking into a league match?!" Vi questions me with aggression coating her words like a layer of sludge in the Zaun sewers,

"Well to start; you pulled me in here, I had no intention of becoming Janna or being here at all."

Vi starts as though she's going to yell again but stops herself and takes a deep, stressed breath before speaking again;

"Alright well lets not spilt hairs on who did what and who grabbed who lets just get you out of here."

Vi points toward the fountain where a small blue portal opens and Janna, the not-me one… obviously, why did I feel the need to clarify that?... she floats through then motions for me to go, I float over and hand her staff before I start apologizing profusely so fast that I think I'm burning out my processor but Janna puts a finger to my lips to silence me;

"It's all right Mora I'm sure it was an accident but for now you need to leave the match will begin again soon… unrelated note though it is so surreal seeing myself like this; is my outfit really that skimpy?"

I nod quietly as Janna looks over me… er herself… uhh however one would explain the situation, Vi makes a motion pointing at her wrist which I assume means we're running out of time so I go through the portal; I feel the portals magic engulf me and for some reason it fills my mouth with the taste of pomegranate, once the blue light fades I'm back in the lounge room where I'm tackled to the ground by Nami;

"OHYGOSHOHMYGOSHIWASSOWORRIEDABOUTYOU!"

My audio receptors can barley decipher that but I get the gist of it as Sona comes over with a short man in a purple robe beside her, he clears his throat and Nami stops stranglopming me and helps me up as the man begins talking;

"Miss Mora I presume? My name is Adaphon; I am a summoner of the League of Legends."

"A pleasure to meet you mister Adaphon… I suppose you want to know why I look like Janna?"

The man reaches beneath his hood though its too dark too see his face the motion suggests he's adjusting his glasses,

"That won't be necessary: champion Nami and Champion Sona explained what they believe to have happened which given what Champion Caitlyn had relayed through her summoner it seems like it was an innocent mistake; despite that though you preformed well for someone who has never so much as witnessed a league match."

"Thank you, I was apparently designed to adapted to many dangerous situations."

I manage to pick up on the subtle telepathic magic coming from him and interpret something that seems like the mental equivalate to saying 'wait what?',

"I'm not sure what you mean by designed but that can wait for later, champion Sona reserved the skybox for you three and I'd hate to deprive you of the rest of the match, we can discuss things later if you feel so inclined… also please revert to whatever you true form looks like; seeing Janna out of the rift might raise some questions."

I hadn't even realised I was still in Janna's form as for whatever reason it felt so… normal; this was the first time I had completely transformed my body, it takes a few moments but I revert to my normal form and outfit which now that I think about it I'm still wearing my Pentakill t-shirt… how did that transform with me? Before I had long to mull over the lack of logic Nami excitedly bubbles me once again and starts rolling me out of the room,

"I am not losing you again Mora, so hold on tight we have to go up a few staircases."

I can already feel the area that would be my stomach buckle.

* * *

After an exciting and _slightly_ confusing forty-eight minutes the Piltover champs had won, a short ceremony talking about the peace between the city-states, I tried to listen but Nami had fallen asleep within the first minute of the speech so it was hard to pay attention when I had her next to me sleeping like a big scaly puppy…

" _I get the feeling that Nami might be asleep for a while, why don't you go talk to Janna and the others back downstairs in the meanwhile?"_

"Uhh… I suppose I can do that."

I make my way back down through the stadium and into the locker room; I seemed to have arrived to early so I take a seat on one the benches while I take a moment to reflect on things, mostly on what the summoner said about talking again later; what did he even want to talk about and how would we meet up again?

"We could meet whenever you want miss."

I feel my skull nearly leap from my composite ooze of a body as his voice comes from within my own mind somehow,

"My apologize miss Mora; when a person of whom I've linked with thinks of communicating with me I am able to connect, in truth I had forgotten we were currently linked."

"Umm okay then… uhh this is kinda freaking me out honestly."

"Once again my sincerest apologizes; though while I have the opportunity I'd like to know if you'd be open to speaking with me again soon?"

"I uhh.. I suppose we could do that..."

"I eagerly await the chance to have a proper conversation with you miss Mora; if you don't mind my saying: your potential fascinates me."

"Uhh thank you?"

"I will remain in the city for the next few days at the Institutes Pilotver branch, one of your friends should be able to show you the way, have a pleasant day miss Mora."

With that my head is left silent save for the whirling torrent of fears and tortured memories I normally have… should I seek a therapist or a mechanic?

Before I can get too existential the doors to the coliseum open swing open with a loud slam making me jump a little, I stand up hoping to greet Janna or even Vi but instead a man clad in what looked like the cloak an aristocrat from upper Piltover would wear but with armor on his forearms and legs and well as one needlessly massive shoulder guard on his right; he had a very stocky build topped by a head with sharp features and short well combed brown hair, I believe the announcer said his name was Jayce?

He looks over me without saying a word before walking over an- "WHAT THE HECK ARE YO-" before I can even finish yelling at him he lets go of my shirt and starts walking away, I glance down perplexed as to what just happen when I notice a smudge o my shirt... wait that's not a smudge; the jerk just penned his name on my shirt… right on Sona's head too… I feel myself getting warmer and my chest moving as though my heart rate had accelerated my teeth instinctively gritting, all of this sounds like anger; I don't think I've ever felt that emotion before.

I try to keep my composure and ask Jayce why he did that to my favorite shirt;

"Excu-

"Look I don't have time to hear this I'm a very busy man and I don't want to waste time I could spend being productive listening to the worthless prattle of yet another fanatical woman."

…

I pull open my briefcase and smack him with a duplicate of his own hammer.

* * *

Sona furrowed her brow with as she watched the champions begin to leave the arena, Jayce especially seemed like he wanted out of there as fast as he could hardly keeping himself from a sprint; she hoped he and Mora would be able to avoid one another as their personalities might conflict, she turns to Nami who had sprawled across the empty seats at some point in her sleep; she leans over to prod the marai in hopes of waking her but before she could a blast rings trough the arena as a tall woman with dark red hair and a massive hammer is flung into the arena crashing through the champions of Piltover attempting to leave, a few seconds later Jayce charges through and over his still recovering teammates as a number of blue energy spheres blasts through the foliage…

" _Oh dear… Nami wake up Mora is in trouble again!"_

Sona mentally slaps herself as she realises Nami can't hear her shouts and instead pushes her onto the floor, the impact of the cold pavement to her cheek wakes Nami up and she flops around for a few seconds before finding her Tidecaller and gathering her wave beneath herself to stand/float, she turns to Sona in hopes of figuring out why she just let her body hit the floor but Sona simply points into the arena; following her prompt Nami peers down and see's an oddly familiar woman attacking Jayce with a hammer identical to his own…

"Gosh-Darnit Mora…"

* * *

I switch the hammer to a cannon and fire three quick shots as he rushes towards me, he dodges them by leaping overtop them and bearing down towards me hammer first; I take a page of his and switch the cannon back into a hammer and put as much power into the swing as I can: our hammers collide and we're both knocked back from each other several feet but we both remain undeterred as in near unison we take aim with the cannons and fire at each other; the balls of energy colliding and exploding on impact with a wake that sent me flying again; during my freefall I can't help but wonder if maybe I overreacted to some extent…

I manage to right myself before landing in the river that spans across the arena and I rush towards the center with the educated assumption that would be where Jayce is heading, I burst from the foliage and skid to a halt in the center of the field where sure enough Jayce is standing glancing around looking for me; we lock eyes but neither of us move, instead we stand still and stare at each other, watching, waiting for the other to move, as though this scene wasn't cinematic enough a lone tumble weed blows by as we continue to stare; finally the tension weighs us down and we both lunge at one another once we're within six feet of one another we both leap into the air and swing our hammers with all our mi- why do I feel the sudden urge to dance?

The both of us hit the dirt hard without so much as a glancing blow to one another but we both stand up and start dancing like someone who's pants are needlessly baggy, after a few moments we finally stop dancing but at this point I feel exhausted and fall to my knees, thankfully Jayce does the same.

"Jayce what the heck did you do?"

Janna floats up to us, Sona right alongside her gentle strumming her Etwahl; both of them looking down at us with a mix of disappointment and contempt, mostly directed towards Jayce it seems though,

"Why do you always assume its my fault?!" Jayce prods still panting from exhaustion,

"Because nine out of ten times it is your fault, and frankly Mora doesn't seem like the kind of person to randomly commit acts of aggravated assault, that's Vi's thing."

"All I did was sign her shirt and tell her to leave me alone and she attacked me." Jayce says in a weirdly neutral tone,

"Did she ask you to or did you just assume things and tell her to stop talking when she was trying to question your rude tendencies?"

Jayce goes silent as Sona glances at me, I tap my index finger against my nose in silent response… it occurs to me I could have telepathically spoke to her instead but for some reason thought to use that motion instead… odd.

* _sigh_ * "Lets just agree that this was an incident of failed communication and go our separate ways; I think we've all had quite enough excitement for one day."

With that a bubble splashes down onto me and Nami rolls me away as Janna conjures a small tornado to whisk Jayce away; Nami rolls me outside the stadium and the bubble pops letting me free, I turn to Nami and Sona expecting them to scold me for my behavior which as much as I'd like to deny it I probably deserve it;

" _I'm sorry Mora I should have gone with you; I forgot how infuriating Jayce could be."_

Wait what?

"So wait, are you not upset with me?" I ask somewhat perplexed at the situation,

" _Well I am somewhat but frankly I can't place much of the blame on you; Jayce has a personality that would make even Soraka fly into a fit of rage, in fact he actually has before…"_ Sona shivers like she was recalling a disturbing event, _"So while I don't exactly like what happened I can't say you're the first person who wanted to bash his face in: most people are actually quite surprised by his real personality as he tends to act like someone with actual charisma during matches."_

"Well… I'm still sorry for everything I've done today, It seems like I can't keep myself from destroying things while I'm in this city…"

"Mora…" Nami starts with a tone in her voice making clear she wants to console me but I put out my hand;

"I don't know my own strength, my limits, or even my purpose in life; within the last week I've fought pirates, a crazy cop, a jerk with a hammer, and a giant rat, but the only thing I can't seems to win is the one with myself… I keep wrecking things and causing trouble and I really don't want to but I keep getting myself into trouble and forcing someone else to save me…" I tilt my head back and look to the sky hoping to make it harder to see the tears threatening to pour down my face, "I'm tired of being a burden to all of the people I meet and just making trouble for them; that's not a friend that's a curse…"

At this point I can't hide it any longer and I feel twin streams of salty water roll down my face, Nami must have seen me start crying because she comes over and takes my hand, she remains silent but her gentle grasp did help me calm down;

"I wanted to make something of myself, to become someone my parents could be proud of, someone who improves the life of others instead of being a walking apocalypse of inconvenience… I just want to do something right for a change."

I can't bare to look at either Sona or Nami as I feel my face soaked in tears that begin to pool on the ground; slowly being pulled into Nami's wake and she grips my had a little tighter and pulls me into a hug and without even being conscious of the action I end up throwing my arms around her and sobbing, every circuit and wire in my head telling me to stop blubbering like a lost schoolgirl but I can't seem to stop myself; just when I think I can't get any more pathetic I feel Sona gently wrap her arms around me as well and the tears keep pouring…

I wake up in the bed of Ezreal's guest room, a quick glance at a nearby clock informs me its been hours since we left the stadium… I must have passed out again, I begin to shake off the covers when I notice Nami once again curled up on the bed; her chest rising and falling gently, I slide off the bed and drape rest the covers on her and slip out of the house, I start walking down the dimly lit streets as the wind howls between the iron building surrounding me; once a few blocks away from the house I speak to myself in hopes of contacting him again,

"Mister Adaphon are you there?"

"I am miss Mora, something wrong? It's a bit late for someone your age to be up."

"I wanted to talk to you now before I have the chance to get myself into any more trouble, I… that is I…"

I can't bring myself to finish the questions but Adaphon begins again with a reassuring tone;

"I have a feeling I know what you wish to ask of me miss Mora, take all the time you need."

I take a deep breath and turn my gaze skyward and peer into the vast open sky dotted with stars before finishing my request;

"I want to make something of myself, I want to hone my powers and find a real constructive use for them, I want to be more then a problem."

One more deep breath and a glance skyward as the twinkling night gives me the last bit of courage to finally proclaim my intent:

"I want to become a Champion in the League of Legends."


	7. 7 A step in the right direction?

__**Sorry it took so long to get this one out.**

* * *

A step in the right direction?

* * *

The room was so eerily quiet, it seemed as though all the subtle sounds that a normal building in a large city like this would have had all been sucked out by some extranormal force… actually I suppose that would make some sense: apparently summoning is a complicated magic that requires a lot of concentration so I imagine they silence the building in order to help them practice their ability to concentrate in peace… or maybe I just have to get my audio receptors fixed.

As I mull over the idea of seeing if I can find a decently skilled mechanic or technician Adaphon walks in with a silver tray loaded with a wide assortment of small snack foods and an ornate teapot floating beside him; it just hovers in place about three feet off the ground between me and the adjacent chair he took,

"Apologizes for the wait Miss Mora but I wasn't expecting to entertain tonight."

"Well to be honest I didn't expect to have an emotional breakdown."

Adaphon pauses mid sip, I probably said something odd again; Adaphon then grabs a book off a nearby shelf and opens it up, he thumbs through a few pages and I try to lean a bit closer to see what he's reading but then I remember something Sona said about 'personal space' and back off,

"Alright miss Mora I have some things I will need to go over with you, that is if you do still intend to become a champion?"

"I do intend to do that, from what I've heard it may be my best chance to stop disrupting important ceremonies or causing property damage."

"You'd be surprised miss Mora, I'll start with the basics;" he clears his throat and takes another quick sip of tea "As a champion of the League of Legends you will be called upon by a summoner to participate in battles for various reasons including but not limited to: political dispute, ceremonial battle, or to entertain some lonely teenagers."

I can't help but tilt my head at that last one but he retains a straight face and continues;

"As a champion, you will be tasked with battling with fellow champions, said battles are usually scheduled well ahead of time though in rare circumstances a summoner may contact you to bring you to the institute,"

He pauses to take a sip of tea while I consider writing this information down… ohh wait I have audio recording software I don't need pencils…

"As a champion, you will be provided with your own fully furnished room within the Institute, a bi-weekly allowance which is yours to spend as you please, you'll also be given a passport for travelling Valoran and provides you with diplomatic immunity."

Sweet buttery crumpets I didn't realise I'd get so much just to beat people up, I can see why Vi likes this job so much now.

"There are some restrictions however; you are not allowed to fight with other champions outside of the league, you cannot… I'm sorry whatever this second clause was is crossed out and illegible… how odd, well that still covers all the essential information, are you still interested?"

"To be honest I'm more interested now then I was half an hour ago; and I was very interested then."

"Very well,"

He sets the book aside and muttered something under his breath and a small portal appears in the floor in front of us; I lean in to look inside but as fast as it appears it shoots out a rolled-up paper and closes,

"Hmm, I suppose Artryom was a bit upset I woke him at this hour to send the papers…"

Adaphon takes the scroll and opens it up then presents it too me; the print is very fine cursive which I have trouble reading but after a few milliseconds I manage to make it out; I'd tell you exactly what it said and all the little details of it but from the recent texts I've reviewed I get the feeling that would bore whoever reads this,

"In signing this for Miss Mora I am giving my word that I believe you have what it takes to become a champion."

He rolls the scroll back up and seals it then hands it too me; as I grasp it I can feel a small amount of residual magic hit me causing the spell that summoned the portal to flash in my mind for a moment before being stored elsewhere in my memory, apparently I don't have strong enough mana to use it now.

"In order to officially be recognized as a champion you will have to pass some tests, they will be… _unconventional_ to say the least though I'm not permitted to detail them, I hope you understand."

I don't really understand at all but I'm going to nod and hope he doesn't read my thoughts,

"That's about all we can do from here; you'll need to travel to the Institute to 'try out', I recommend traveling with champion Nami… on that note is she aware you are here? She seemed quite distraught when the two of you were last separated."

I can't help but shift in my seat a little;

"To be honest I waited until she fell asleep then I snuck out and left without telling anyone where I was going or what I was doing after having an emotional breakdown earlier today."

"… You should probably go back to her before anyone realises you've left; you weren't perchance staying at champion Ezreal's home were you?"

"Yes I was; Nami apparently stays there a lot."

"Then allow me to give you a safe trip home."

Adaphon begins to softly chant some sort of incantation and a blue circle appears at me feet and slowly closes in on itself, I recognize it as the recall spell used in the league match; the circle flashes and everything turns blue for a moment but before I have time to blink I'm standing in Ezreal's living room.

I slide back into the guest room to find Nami lying at the foot of the bed again, her tail gently waving as she slept; I slide back into bed as carefully as I can so as not to disturb her but once I'm in bed she starts shifting until she wrapped her arms around me, I wonder why she only does that when I'm also in the bed, do Marai prefer sleeping in pairs to share body heat during the nights perhaps; they are mammals so it would make sense would it not? One of these days I need to simply ask Nami about her culture as apposed to lay awake at night wondering about it.

* * *

I feel as though my erratic sleep schedule isn't beneficial to my health, then again nothing I've done within the past week has been good for me so why start now… well that's somewhat depressing; I should probably talk to someone about this when I find the chance.

"You okay Mora? You've barely touched your hash brown, I learned how to cook hash browns just for you."

I'm pulled out of my deeper processing as Nami prods me though her words catch in my mind;

"What do you mean? How'd did you know I like them?"

"You talked in your sleep the other night, it was actually pretty adorable."

"Uhh, thank you Nami…"

I talk in my sleep now? Why does my mental state keep degrading like this? I really need to look into getting my software checked soon I can't allow myself to leak personal information so easily or else… or else what? Why do I need to keep things hidden again? My mind feels as though a layer of fog shrouds a piece of my memory; I don't understand how or why that is given that my father said my mind was designed to operate without restrictions and yet this seemed locked away… perhaps I could consult Adaphon or another summoner on the matter soon... oh shoot I have yet to inform Nami of my intent to join the League, should I do it now or wait; on one hand she might be proud of me and happy for the chance to work together but on the other hand she's afraid that I'd end up killing myself if I leave her line of sight, not an irrational fear if I'm honest but still.

My train of processing is interrupted by Lux and Ezreal walking in, odd how they only seem to show up after Nami and I have been in the kitchen for about an hour.

"Good morning Nami, Good morning Mora!"

Lux's sunny disposition has yet to waver in all the time I've known her… that's about two days I believe?

"Morning you two; Ezreal you want to make an awkward statement again today or are you good?"

"To be honest Nami I think within the past few days I've filled my quota for the next month."

Ezreal take a moment to pour himself a cup of coffee and Luz whispers something to him that I don't catch; he nods to her and she takes a seat next to me at the table and he motions Nami over, I try to listen in but Lux distracts me which irks me more than I thought it would for whatever reason, most of what Lux says is just idle banter which I don't need to pay to much attention too other than occasionally nodding or making a grunting noise to make it seem like I was listening; I only managed to pick up on every third word of what Nami and Ezreal are saying and most of it makes no sense without the rest of it, after about two minutes I give up and pay more attention to Lux;

"- and that's why I think you should get some, what do you think?"

Oh fudge,

"Uhh I dunno, I think I should talk to Nami about that…"

I try to bluff my way into making her say more information without making it look like I wasn't listening; Lux gives me an odd look but before she says anything else Ezreal and Nami finally sit down, all three of them look directly at me and I can feel about fifteen subroutines telling me to run the f**k away… I wonder why my programs use such crass language? Before I can continue to question the nonsensical design of my entire being Nami clears her throat,

"Soooooooooo… apparently a number of the champions you've met within the past week, including these two if that wasn't obvious, think you should…" She pauses and looks strangely uneasy, I think I know what she's trying to say given what she had just said so I try to finish this for her;

"Lux, Ezreal and some of the others I've met think I should become a champion… you don't want me to though."

She looks a little surprised but nods in confirmation, she avoids eye-contact with me now for some reason and Ezreal picks up where she left off,

"Uhh, to make a long story short after seeing what you're capable of; fighting Jayce, mastering foreign spells so quickly, and not getting killed by Vi just from what I've heard, it seems like a good way to apply your talents in a constructive and worthwhile manner would be to become a champion."

"To be honest with all of you; I've already spoken with summoner Adaphon and he gave me this;" I pull the scroll out of my arm and show them the seal before putting it back into my arm goop, "I have full intent to join you within the league… at least I've been thinking about it; though Nami's concern is unnerving."

Luz and Ezreal turn to look at Nami now who finally looks at me again,

"Its not so much that I don't want you to be a champion its just… I'm afraid you'll get hurt because of me; every time you get hurt its because I drag you somewhere: when I left you to fight at the docks Vi started chasing you, then I took you to a concert when you were still weak and you passed out a lot, then I took you to a League match and didn't make sure you were safe and then you got pulled into the match and then even after the match with Jayce and you always asked me about being a champion and.. and.."

She starts to sputter and tears well up in her eyes; I climb onto the table and launch myself across and tackle/hug her to the floor in the same way she had always done to me as I also break out in tears, she wraps her arms around me and I choke out the best reassurance I can muster;

"Its not *sniff* its not your fault, you tried to help me but I did things wrong and I try to help but I just mess up and I drink to much soda an-"

"No its my fault you're new to this world and you don't know things and I just expected you too know things and I didn't teach you things and-"

"Its not your fault how could you have known that I didn't know an… and…"

I start to feel faint like last time I got so worked up but I refuse to let myself pass out now, still clinging to Nami I pull us both up into a sitting position;

*Panting* "Nami, I'm so sorry; I had no idea you felt like that but look at it this way: if I do become a champion the odds of me injuring myself or causing large scale property damage would become exponentially smaller, I just thought this way I could better myself… _and stay with you longer."_

I don't know why I decided to whisper that last part but after that Nami and I had calmed down and I only now realise Lux and Ezreal had been awkwardly trying to avoid staring at us during that scene… nobody really says anything for the next few minutes and we just clean up the food I'd managed to knock onto the floor; I hope my tendency to make messes can be overcome soon lest I'd probably earn the ire of a lot of people.

* * *

The rest of the day is mostly quiet and uneventful; Lux and Ezreal left for some errands around noon so Nami and I spend the day on Ezreal's couch talking in depth about the league; mostly Nami's personal experiences with other champions, the battles in the rift, and how to speak with a summoner; as we spoke she seemed to calm down about the idea of me joining the league,

*Knock Knock Knock*

The its around two pm when we hear that knocking… I don't know why I wrote the sound effect before saying when it happened, I flop off the couch and open the door and I'm greeted by a mass of hair,

"Greetings, you're the hextech bio-weapon ironically named after a form of pain-relief medication correct?"

"Uhh I think so…"

I was at a loss; recognized the Yordel as Professor Heimerdinger but I could barely keep up with his words and my head is a freaking computer,

"I'd been observing you after your encounter with Jayce and I have noticed behavioural patterns consistent with early onset rampancy in synthetic intelligences."

"Whoa wait a moment please; are you saying I'm…"

"Your AI is deteriorating at an accelerated rate most likely due to recent events casing a mass influx of new data and poor maintenance."

"Hey I maintain my head just fine thank you very much, albeit I did neglect to buff out that dent VI left... err I mean: what do you suggest I do about this then?"

"Normally I'd suggest termination of the defective AI and proceed to do so though given the glare on Nami's face my calculations suggest that'd be a bad idea so we seek an alternative; there is a hexmaturgist with experience in bio-weaponry much like yourself who'd most likely be able to assist."

"Uhh that's good I think; where is he? and follow up question: do you normally show up on people's doorsteps to tell them you've been following them and studying them?"

"Only if necessary, so far my studies have revealed most people do not appreciate being unaware being under surveillance regardless of the purpose of the study."

I couldn't muster a reply as I was too busy being dumbfounded by his lack of social graces; he bounced inside and started talking to Nami as the sudden weight of mortality sets in; it never occurred to me all the damage and data exposure within the past week would be enough to actual cause lasting problems but now I've been informed my mind is dying; I know It seems like I'm taking this rather well but that's only because this recording system can't hear my hyperventilating or see my pupils dilating in fear.

I flop onto the floor and curl up in the fetal position and try to process things though as you might imagine the idea of slowly dying from a combination of mental and physical degradation within days of finally being free could make one have a bit of a freak-out. At some point Nami must have noticed I was panicking as she splashes cold water on my face t snap me out of it, oddly enough she had used a cup to do so instead of her Tidecaller,

"Okay so there's some good news and bad news; the good news is the person who can help you is actually at the Institute of War right now since they're also a champion,"

"That sounds good."

"The bad news is uhh, well the one who can help is Viktor."

*GASP*"… don't have any idea who that is."

Nami slaps her forehead and once again bubbles me before rolling us out the door and down the streets of Piltover; Heimerdinger following close behind, and with that we were on our way to blimpport bound to the Institute of War… I should have assumed this trip would be far from conventional.


	8. Delays

I'm sorry for the long wait for chapter eight but I recently got (then lost) a job and time got away from me; I went back to finis the chapter which was about 80% finished but the file got corrupted somehow and can no longer be used, so I've got to re-write all of it... yeah that might take a bit.


End file.
